


Love can be quiet

by Jusu



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Eventual Romance, F/M, Game Spoilers, Pining, Rating May Change, Slow Burn, Social Links, Violence in battles, Will add more tags as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-20
Updated: 2018-07-06
Packaged: 2018-11-16 11:12:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 37,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11251932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jusu/pseuds/Jusu
Summary: It must’ve been fate that they would meet in such a large city as Tokyo. If Ann hadn’t caught his eye, they would have never gotten to know each other. She wasn’t dissatisfied with this outcome of events. So why did it feel as if needles were continuously pushed into her heart as time went on and she looked back at this moment?(Akira is a girl)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm writing this scene from memory, so I apologise beforehand if there are any inconsistencies.

She would never forget the day she first saw him.  
Ann felt mortified that someone had been following her, so she was standing by her side as Ryuji was hiding nearby to block anyone trying to approach her.

Akira was trying to have a relaxed conversation with Ann, to ease her mind. As the unfamiliar presence gnawed on their shadows, they turned around to see the perpetrator. 

A young man with dark blue hair tilted his head, letting some stray strands of hair fall onto his face. Akira stood there in shock, stunned by the boy standing in front of them. He looked so unthreatening, could this really be the person who had been stalking Ann?   
There was a moment of silence where the trio exchanged glances with each other. 

“Are you sure it’s him?” Ryuji broke the silence, the hesitation in his voice was evident. The stranger ignored the gang's confusion and instead spoke to Ann. By shoving Ryuji aside, it was clear that he was doing his best to ignore him. Akira didn’t know what to do. She sure had picked the oddballs of the school as her friends. You know what they say; _Birds of the same feather flock together._  
Akira could not deny the fact that there was an odd air surrounding the stranger, she never could've predicted the absurdness that spilt from his mouth soon after that.

“You are the person I’ve been searching for all this time! Will you be my model for my next art piece?”

_Wow. What the heck is up with this guy?_  
The sounds of Morgana's disapproving mumbling came from her bag. Akira cleared her throat. How Ann remained so oblivious of Morgana’s crush never seem to stop surprising Akira, but it was getting old fast.

She felt some comfort by hearing Ryuji speak the exact things she thought of, albeit a bit more bluntly. The whole situation was an uncomfortable experience of secondhand embarrassment in watching the stranger attempting to interact with Ann. The absurdity of it all multiplied when the old man in the black car had stopped right next to them.  
Akira could never have imagined someone acting so socially awkward without being a shut-in, so when Ann’s response was to accept the request, she felt her jaw drop. 

Though she didn’t have to say anything as Ryuji once more spoke for her. It suited her as they were still getting to know each other, and she wasn’t much of a talker anyway.

“Are you sure about this?” She asked when Ryuji’s comment didn’t dissuade her. “You know nothing about this guy, what if he tries something funny?”

Ann sighed, “We got free tickets, and it’s in a public place. Just because we go doesn’t mean that I’ve accepted it yet.” She gave Akira a warm smile, “I expect you guys to come with me. It would be a waste if we didn’t go!”

A loud groan was heard from Ryuji. His unhappy response was not a surprise, as even at first glance, everyone in the Phantom Thieves could tell that the guy wasn’t an appreciator of fine arts. As Ann realised how long they’ve been standing there, she exclaims that they are going to be late if they didn’t hurry to school. She dashed off while Akira and Ryuji walked towards the school at a brisk pace.

“Man, what’s up with all the weirdos being drawn to Ann all the time?” Ryuji kicked some pebbles on the ground. His eyes trailed their movements as they stopped rolling. 

“Who knows?” Akira responded thoughtfully, opting out of giving the most obvious reason that Ann’s appearance makes her stand out. She glanced in the direction that the car had driven to.  
_Surely a mentor’s role is also to foster appropriate manners? His language was polite, but social customs can't be ignored._ She sighed and looked up to the sky. _It’s this kind of stuff that causes misunderstandings and exaggerations online. Though Ann doesn’t seem like one of those girls online that posts hyperbole v-blogs like “I had a stalker!”, “I was poisoned today!”_

She stopped her train of thought as she took out her phone to look at the time.  
“We should pick up the pace, or we’ll be late for sure,” Morgana said, peeking out of the bag.  
Ryuji whined meekly in response, granted him some scolding from the cat.

“I swear, that guy is going to try something creepy,” Ryuji said, returning the topic to the stranger.

“I’m sure you would if it was you approaching her for the first time,” Akira mumbled under her breath. Ryuji punched her on her shoulder as a response. She could have evaded that if she wanted to, Akira thought, but felt like she might've deserved it. It was nice being comfortable enough around Ryuji to test the waters on teasing.


	2. Chapter 2

“Welcome to the art exhibition of the famous Ichiryusai Madarame!”  
  
Ryuji scoffed at the attendant at the entrance of the exhibition.  
“Manners!” Akira whispered. He shot a glare in her direction and Morgana is heard laughing from her bag.

_Why do these two refuse to get along?_ She sighed out loud.  
  
“She's just doing her job,” Akira tried to explain, but Ryuji rolled his eyes. Ann clicked her tongue and walked ahead.  
Akira was taken aback by the crowd in the gallery, not a single painting was without a bystander. Akira’s interest was piqued by this, as previously she's been in galleries that were empty, or that was so full that it resembled the Tokyo subway at peak hours. The free entry to the Louvre was worth more to her parents than it was to a shy twelve-year-old coming from a small town. Perhaps one day she would get used to the vast amount of people who lived in Tokyo.  
  
“You came!” A voice exclaimed enthusiastically. The group turned to the direction the voice came from; it was the blue-haired boy again. “Oh,” he said, the previous enthusiasm was completely gone, “You came as well.”  
Akira furrowed her brows as she shoved her hands in her pockets.  
  
_What's with that attitude? What did I do? Did I even say anything to you?_  
  
“‘Sup?” Ryuji greeted him with a shit-eating grin, some sense of annoyance in his voice.  
  
_Oh. Maybe it was to Ryuji. At least he owns up to it. Or he's just bundling us together as I'm not Ann._  
  
“Well, what did you expect giving us those tickets?”  
  
Akira let out a stifled chuckle. Ryuji’s attitude was a source of both trouble and humour, and this time she thought it was funny. Neither Ann or the stranger seem too pleased. Whatever, their loss.  
  
“Yusuke, was it?” Akira softly tried to steer the conversation elsewhere. She swayed softly, shifting her weight to her left leg.  
  
He mumbled a yes before giving them a warning to not disturb the visitors. He then turned his attention to Ann, where he offered to show her around. He shot a glare at Ryuji and Akira. “You two can wander around and enjoy yourselves,” venom dripping from his voice. He tried to guide Ann away from the group by placing his arm behind her back. Morgana must've seen it as Akira almost stumbled over by the rough movement from her bag.  
  
“Dammit, get back in!” Ryuji commanded. Akira shifted her bag from her back to her shoulder, “Lady Ann! We can't leave her alone with that guy! We need to follow her!” Morgana pleaded. Akira sighed.  
  
“Ssh, stay calm. Ann's a big girl - she can handle herself.” She looked at Ryuji, “Should we try to find anything on Madarame while we're here?”  
  
He nodded in response and cracked his shoulder. Akira had a quick glance at her phone to ensure that it was on so that Ann could reach her invade something happened. Battery level was pretty low, and she would be in trouble if it didn't last until she got home. Sojiro had never attempted to contact her via phone, but Akira was worried that he would when her phone had died.  
  
_I probably shouldn't have played games this morning while listening to music._

Both Ann and Ryuji had arrived with a later than usual train that morning, and she didn't feel like listening to the hundreds of conversations that were going on inside the station.  
  
They spotted a familiar-looking old man near the centre of the exhibition, talking to a few journalists. Stopping nearby, they pretended to be engrossed by a nearby painting while listening in on the interview. Akira hummed thoughtfully as she looked at the artwork. It was abstract art, so she wasn't sure where exactly to focus her eyes on, the round shapes, or perhaps the thick red lines? She glanced over to Ryuji who was looking directly at Madarame and the journalists.  
  
She clears her throat and gently nudges Ryuji with her elbow. He turned to face the direction of the painting with a scowl on his face.  
  
“Stop frowning and pretend to be enjoying yourself.”  
  
“I'm concentrating on listening!” He hissed back. She scoffed and tucked some strands of hair behind her ear.  
  
They didn't gain any vital information before they're pushed out by the gathering fans approaching Madarame.  
  
“Figures that he wouldn't say anything when being interviewed,” Akira sighed and ran her hand through her hair. “Only thing I thought stood out was the inconsistency in styles.”  
  
Ryuji hummed thoughtfully as he browsed his phone. “Apparently that's what he's famous for, painting in different styles.”  
He showed his phone to Akira. She squinted at the bright screen.  
  
“But how can one be able to create so many good paintings? Doesn't it take years to get good in one style?  
  
“I don't know, man. Maybe he's really talented? Or perhaps it's like if someone's good in one sport, they usually do quite well in others.”  
He resumed in reading the article that he had shown.  
  
“I don't believe in talent. It takes hard work - skill - in order to get good at something,” Akira mumbled under her breath.  
  
They converged with an upset Ann who felt betrayed that the group had left the museum without her.  
Akira showed her phone.The battery notification came up when she pressed the power button, showing a battery indicator with a sliver of red in it. She was off the hook. Ryuji wasn't.  
He gave the excuse that they were pushed out by the gathering fans. Akira was satisfied with keeping quiet as she wished to not be under the direct fire of Ann's complaints.  
  
“There are some nasty rumours online about Madarame plagiarising other people's work,” she interjected in Ann's scolding, “Did you learn anything from Yusuke that would support that?”  
  
Her facial expression soften, “So you heard it too, huh?”  
She briefly stared at the ground before resuming, “I thought about it when Yusuke was showing me around, but...”  
  
She gave them a quick explanation of what had happened on her side of things. That the entire guide was elevating Madarame as this great artist while Yusuke’s demeanour had changed when she tried to converse about a painting she liked.  
  
“We're not going to learn anything by perusing rumours online,” Akira briefly paused to adjust the position of her glasses. “We can probably gain more information from the people closest to Madarame - his students. Ann, if we play our cards right, we can use the excuse of you being his model to obtain inside information.”  
  
They split up after a brief discussion on what the next step would be. When Akira came home, Sojiro scolded her for always being out so late, but luckily he had not tried to reach her on her cell that night either.  
  
_Maybe he doesn't even have my number._

Morgana slunk out of her school bag as she placed it on the table next to the staircase.

“Morgana, you need to wake me up when you see me fall asleep with my phone not charging.”

“That's your responsibility, not mine!”

Akira forced Morgana to turn around while she was switching into her pyjamas. The cat diligently recounted the information they had obtained and what their next step should be. She tried to listen to it all but ended up dozing off into sleep when Morgana suggested Akira should go in Ann's place so that she could retain her chastity.


	3. Chapter 3

Ann's acting was god-awful, but their plan relied on it being convincing enough to fool Yusuke. It seemed to affect the rest of the group, but everyone reacted in a different way outwards.  
  
“We’re just a bunch of thugs to him, huh…” Ryuji slammed his fist down the table, “Dammit! It’s like he doesn’t want us to help him!”   
Some heads in the restaurant turned to their direction. Akira cleared her throat nervously and apologised to the chef who handed them their bowls with a confused look on his face.  
  
Akira didn’t want to admit that it hurt when Yusuke was pushing them away. They were in a loop of Ann acting as the good cop, while Ryuji was the bad cop. Akira had been the quiet person observing in the corner and then asking the hard-hitting questions. She couldn’t get rid of the pained expression Yusuke had when she finally spoke up and asked him how he felt about it. Yusuke hated both her and Ryuji; she could feel it by his icy glares whenever he saw them.   
  
“Try to think of it from his perspective. We’re a bunch of strangers telling him that his mentor that he owes his life to is a bad person.”  
  
“But we’ve seen his palace! He thinks his pupils are worth nothing unless they paint for him!”  
  
“He doesn’t know that! He’s not us. He hasn’t seen the things we have. You have to approach him without assuming that he sees things the same we do!”   
Akira sighed and pushed her hair aside. Silence fell between the two, and the other patrons of the ramen shop shifted their attention back to their food or previous conversation. She had briefly forgotten god loud get voice could become when upset. People always told her to stop yelling when growing up, so she forcefully tried to regulate her normal speaking tone.   
  
Ryuji stared contemplatively at his bowl of ramen. Akira fiddled with the chopsticks, “I’m sorry for yelling, I didn't mean to.”  
  
“No, it's okay,” Ryuji adjusted himself and sat up straight, “I was yelling too.”  
  
“I just want you to know; I'm not angry at you. I'm frustrated at this whole situation. Someone is being used, and will eventually get tossed out when deemed worthless…” She punctured the boiled egg in her bowl. “It's not fair that a shitty adult gets away with this kind of abuse, especially when it's to a kid who can't run away…!”  
  
“That's why we're Phantom Thieves, dude! To get back at shitty adults!”   
  
The faint trace of a smile appeared on Akira’s face. Ryuji started to dig in. She gently began to poke the noodles.   
  
She knew that they were doing the right thing, saving those who can't fight for themselves against selfish adults.   
  
Akira knew she had to be patient. They needed more proof to convince Yusuke; then he didn't have to stay there anymore. After reading all the rumours online, her heart ached more every time she saw him. He continuously defended his mentor without avail, but how he would turn his gaze downward whenever she asked Yusuke was feeling.   
  
She had made up her mind from the moment she had seen the painting of him in Madarame’s palace.   
  
She was going to save him.

 

* * *

 

Today was the day; they were going to make it pass the door with the peacock feathers on.

Joker and Skull were on standby to run when the alarms were disabled. It felt like it took forever, and they were both worried that something had happened in the real world, but the alarms eventually were disabled and the duo dashed towards the door.

They continued down the hallway but sprung to hide behind a corner when they spotted a guard. Joker pressed her back towards the wall, and Skull was crouched down close to her and peeked around the corner.

“There's a guard up there. We probably won't be able to sneak past.” Skull whispered to Joker. She nodded in response. “Just give the signal when you're ready to pounce, I'll follow your lead.”

Joker took a deep breath to gather her thoughts, “Let's go.”

Then ran out from their corner and stopped in front of the guard.

“Yo, you're gonna let us through now!” Ryuji casually commanded.

“Hm!? Who are you!?” The Shadow quickly scanned the two of them. “I see, that attire...” It pointed its flashlight in their direction, “You must be the thieves who dare threaten Lord Madarame!”

Joker's face split in a malicious grin, “If you don't want to move out of the way, we're just going to have to beat you. Shadows like you haven't stopped us before.”

The Shadow growled before morphing into a black puddle. It's true form sprung out of the pool and the Phantoms readied their weapons. It was a large gorilla-like create with two glowing red eyes.

“Persona!” She called out, and Matador sprung up behind her. Pink swirls appeared on the enemy Shadow, distorting their mind. The security Shadow gave off a grunt but didn't react much to it. She made a mental note that it didn't seem to be weak to Psychic attacks.

Captain Kidd appeared from Skull as he roared.

“Ryuji, use your words,” Joker mocked him.

“Codenames!” Skull corrected her, as Captain Kidd swung the ship he was standing on to attack the Shadow.

A large, dark object appeared over her head and came crashing down. Her knees buckled, but she refused to bend to this Shadow's attack. Blood trickled down her mask, but she wiped it off before summoning her Persona once again.

“Ravage them!” Joker commanded as the guard became engulfed in flames.

“Serves you right!” Skull shouted as both he and Joker approached the downed shadow with their guns drawn. She then gave the signal for an All-Out Attack which ended the Shadow's existence.

Joker smiled as she playfully spun her dagger before stylishly sheathing it.

“You're such a show-off,” Skull laughed and tossed his arm over her shoulder.

Joker posed thoughtfully, “I have no idea what you're talking about it.”

They walked passed the area that the shadow had guarded and saw the security room to their left.   
When inside, Joker disabled the lasers in the courtyard to ensure that they could return to the palace and make it past this point. As they left the security room, they heard a voice call out.

“Hey, who's there!?”

“Crap... Let's make a run for it!”

Joker nodded, and the two of them headed back to the courtyard where the rest of the Phantom Thieves were going to turn up any minute.

As they reached the courtyard, the metal rods descended onto the ground. Their plan had worked. With adrenaline still pumping through her system, Joker continued to run with a smile on her face.

She loved being a Phantom Thief.

She stopped running as she saw Skull halting to catch his breath. After letting out a series of gasps, he spoke up. "I hope those two managed to get away."

Before she could offer some reassuring words to her teammate, there was a loud warped sound coming from above them followed by a familiar voice yelling in fear.

The duo looked up and saw two figures appear from the contorted shapes. Joker recognised Panther, but she didn't realise who the other was until he was on the ground, carrying Panther bridal style.

“Yusuke?”

She was quite impressed with how he managed to land on his two feet from that fall and position himself so he could catch her teammate. That was, until a small black shape dropped down on Yusuke's head, making him go down on one knee.

It went downhill from there.

Panther pushed him away, causing him to fall over completely. Even if she had apologised right away after it, Akira couldn't help but think that Panther's actions had been rather rude. Morgana was loudly wailing in the background.

Yusuke was only out for a short while, when he woke, his eyes widened in shock.

“Who are you all?” He started to shift backwards as if trying to get away from them.

Panther spoke first. “Calm down, Kitagawa. It's me!” she tried to reassure him.

He stopped shuffling away and turned his head to her direction. “Takamaki?” Yusuke briefly stopped while looking at the other Phantom Thieves. “That means you two are...” He looked at Mona who had made it up to his side. “I don't recall seeing this cat costume before though...”

He shook his head in disbelief. “What is this place...?”

Joker remained silent for the explanation of the Palace, Mona knew of this world more than she did, and Yusuke seemed more comfortable with Panther, so the job of calming him down went to her. So she rationalised her silence, but her eyes were on Yusuke the whole time. He was distraught, and the fall plus Panther's beating seemed to have done a number on him. The mental weight of finding out the truth about his mentor most likely also weighed heavy on him.

Then suddenly he collapsed, clutching his heart.

“Are you alright?” Panther asked, rushing to his aid. Joker didn't move; her feet were fixed like stone to the ground.

“I'm trying to be rational about this, but my emotions are overwhelming me...”

Mona warned that hey had to leave as soon as possible since the security level was incredibly high. When Yusuke couldn't seem to get up, Joker spoke in a small voice.

“Here, lean on my shoulder,” she offered as she stepped forward.

“No, it's alright,” Yusuke said, as he slowly got up from the ground.

“We need to get out of here!” Mona said sharply. “That said, we have an amateur with us now. Let's avoid as much fighting as possible.”

Joker tried to let her feelings go as she assumed the vanguard of the team. She was their leader; she had to be in the front of her team. She can't be looking back continuously if she were to lead them forward. It felt callous, but it was her burden to bear.

She leads them through the museum, occasionally stopping to make sure that Yusuke was alright. Every time they paused their running, Yusuke had questions, and with every answer, his heartache seemed to multiply.

When nearing the exit, two Shadows sprung up, blocking their way. They barely had any time to react before more Shadows, and even Madarame himself appeared behind them. Joker cursed under her breath and readied her stance.

“Talk about bullshit clothes! First a king, now some kinda shogun!?”

Joker wanted to glance at Yusuke to see how he was doing, but she was facing his back, and she knew it was dangerous ever to let your gaze travel from your enemy. She tightened her grip on her dagger, feeling that it was the only thing she could do right now.

“Welcome to the Museum of the master artist Madarame...” Madarame was now draped in golden robes inside his palace, rather than his modest clothes he wore in the real world.

“Sensei, is that you?” Yusuke asked with anguish in his voice. “That attire...”

“Disgusting,” Ann interjected and pushed one of her ponytails aside.

“This... This is all one big lie, isn't it...?” Yusuke pleaded. Joker knew this wasn't going to end well, Madarame's Shadow was going to destroy the image that Yusuke had in his mind of his teacher. Even if it were perhaps the thing that could make Yusuke realise the truth.

“My usual ragged attire is nothing but an act. Besides, a famous person living in that shack? I have another home... Under a mistress' name, of course.”

“That's awful...! You would live in luxury while forcing your students to live in that rundown place!?” Anger filled Joker's lungs, causing her to shout when she should remain calm. “Some setup you got,” she tried to dial her voice down.

Madarame burst out laughing; he truly did not have any remorse for forcing people to live in that sorry of an excuse of a house. Yusuke winced.

“If the "Sayuri" was stolen, why was it in the storage room? And if you had the real one, why make copies!? If it's really you, Sensei... Please, tell me!” Yusuke pleaded for answers yet again.

“Foolish child. You still don't see?” Madarame's eyes gleamed with indignation. Joker tried to brace herself mentally.

“The painting being stolen was just a false rumour I spread! It was all a perfectly calculated staging!” Madarame revealed with pride.

“What do you mean...?” Yusuke's voice sounded as if in disbelief.

“Let me see... How does this sound?” Madarame hunched slightly over and began to use the gentle voice that he used in the real world. "I found the real painting, but it can't go public... You can have it for a special price, though..."  
He briefly paused as a nasty grin appeared on his face. “How's that for preferential treatment? Art snobs'll eat it up, and pay good cash at that!”

Yusuke grasped his head before collapsing to the ground. Joker couldn't help but look at the meek figure that was dry-heaving in front of her. The anger she felt had instantly turned to sympathy. She knew that the painting was what inspired Yusuke to keep going, even during the hardest of days. To have one's inspiration and hope dirtied like that...

“Legitimate business transaction, my ass! That's Forgery!” Joker rebutted, anger slowly returning, “You're nothing but a greedy, manipulative abuser!”

“Shut up! You're nothing but common thieves! Brats like you could never come up with such a brilliant scheme!”

Skull clicked his tongue in disgust. “You keep goin' on about money this, money that... No wonder you ended up with this disgusting museum.”

He was right, everything about this palace screamed that Madarame was vain and self-absorbant. Everything was in gold and self-praising. His students were nothing but tools that were meant nothing tried they to speak up.

“You're supposed to be an artist, right!?” Panther spoke up. “Aren't you ashamed of plagiarising other people's work!?”

Madarame started to laughing again. “Art is nothing but a tool - A tool for money and fame!”

“Deplorable” Joker said out loud. The man in front of her so casually and proudly admits to using others before ruining their lives.

Madarame ignored her statement and instead focused on Yusuke, who was still heaving on the ground. “You helped me greatly as well, Yusuke...” It was something in how he said his name that set Joker off; it was almost like he said it with disgust. She wanted to summon her Persona and smear that Shadow's grin on the museum walls.

“But what about the people who believe in you!? Who think you're a master artist!?” Joker wasn't sure what Yusuke was trying to get answered with his line of questioning. Was he desperately reaching for a small redeemable strand of redemption in Madarame's actions? Or was he trying to reach out to the truth that was still unclear?

Madarame's expression turns serious as does his tone, “I'll tell you this alone, Yusuke. If you wish to succeed in this world, I'd advise you not to rise against me. Do you believe anyone could find success with my objections holding them down?”

“To think I was under the care of this wretched man...!” Yusuke said in dejection. Joker desperately wanted to go to his side and help him up, but in doing so, she would allow for the shadows behind them to find an opening to attack.

“Do you think I took you in out of the goodness in my heart?” Madarame retorted in spite. “Plucking talented, yet troubled artists allows me to find promising pupils and take their ideas. After all, it's much easier to steal the futures of children who can't fight back. ”

“I can't believe this...” Yusuke looked as if he was about to collapse completely.

“Enough!” Joker interrupted. The anger made her blood boil. “People have died! One of your students killed herself! How can you just laugh about something like this!?” Her voice cracked at the last part, but she couldn't have paid any care.

“Livestock are killed for their hide and meat! This is no different, you fool!”

“You are unforgivable,” Yusuke said, with new-found vigour in his voice. “It doesn't matter who you are - I won't forgive you!” He slowly stood up straight, as if challenging Madarame.

“So... You repay my kindness for all these years with ingratitude!? You damn brat!” He points towards The Phantoms, “Men! Dispose of these thieves!” Madarame commanded.

“Get back!” Panther called to Yusuke, but he didn't falter. Instead, he chuckled. Everyone stopped their movement.

“How amusing...” he said calmly. “It seems the truth is stranger than fiction.” He hummed thoughtfully, but then his expression turned grim and he raised his voice.  
“I wanted to believe it wasn't true - I had clouded my vision for so long... My eyes were truly blind - blind, and unable to see the true self behind this one horrible man!”

Yusuke suddenly gasped and clutched his head on both sides. It became evident what was happening to Yusuke - he was awakening to his Persona.  
Even after going through the head-splitting pain of Arsene’s awakening, and having to watch Ryuji and Ann awaken to their personas didn’t make Yusuke’s any easier to watch. She could hear the snapping sound of his nails breaking against the museum floor. It made her skin crawl, and her gut was making a wrenching motion as she saw that he had drawn blood.  
Blue flames on his face eventually revealed a white kitsune mask. He stood up straight and grasped the side of his mask.

“Very well...” He said. “Come, Goemon!”   
A blinding white light surrounded Yusuke, and out burst a kabuki man, dressed in blue and holding a long pipe.

“A breathtaking sight...” Yusuke said.

Joker couldn't help but agree, she was rooted in place and hanging on his every word.

“Imitations they may be, but together, they make a fine spectacle. Though the flowers of evil may blossom, let it be known - abominations are fated to perish!”

She was in awe of how gracefully Yusuke moved and how naturally he could use Goemon’s ice abilities. His movements were like flowing water, and Akira had to get herself together before she forgets her position as their leader. She couldn’t just stand there like a gaping statue; they had enemies to defeat.   
  
“The children who adored you as "father"... The prospects of your pupils... How many did you trample upon?” Yusuke asked Madarame, but he only replied with an evil smile. Yusuke furrowed his brows further, “How many dreams did you exchange for riches!?”

Still no reply, Madarame was grinning silently behind his newly summoned guards.

“No matter what it takes... I will bring you to justice!”

Joker smiled, Yusuke seemed fired up and raring to go.

“Let's see what you're made of,” Joker said as she unsheathed her dagger.

“Very well, bring it on!” Yusuke called out, and a grin formed on this face. She felt weird seeing such a mischievous smile on his face, but she felt even weirder by the sudden thought she had.

_He's quite attractive..._

 

* * *

  
  
Yusuke’s knees buckled as he tried to approach after Madarame.

His former mentor sneered at him, “Yusuke, you've just thrown your bright future down the drain. I'll destroy every chance you've ever had of becoming an artist...!”

“Madarame!” Yusuke growled and tried to give chase, but quickly fell again. The Phantoms rushed to his side. “Why can't I move!?” He clutched his knee.

“Listen, you're totally drained. You can't do much, even if you wanted to,” Panther explained to him as she crouched down next to him, Skull followed suit.

“What a disgrace I am,” Yusuke mumbled.

“Come on, just listen to her,” Skull put his chip in the conversation.

Joker took a step forward, “Come on, let's get you to a place where you can rest more comfortably. Do you want to lean on me?”

Yusuke shook his head and slowly got up.   
She didn’t understand why she felt slightly disappointed by Yusuke’s second rejection when she offered him to lean on him while they escape.   
  
_He's just stubborn, no big deal._   
  
Yet those rational thoughts did not remove the pin that had been pushed into her heart.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since "Mementos" is a name of a place, I'll use the American English spelling rather than "Mementoes" the plural of "Memento".

She wasn’t sure what happened that day, and it frightened her. While she thought that she would never get used to seeing all of these Shadows, the Velvet room and whispers in her hear about bonds, it didn’t feel so scary anymore.

It was her loss of focus that made her anxious. Akira has been spacing out more lately. It had already cost her a few cool-points since she would absentmindedly stare at the walls of Madarame’s palace or Mementos before getting hit in the back by Shadows lurking around.

“Yo, Joker, you alright?” Skull had walked up to her after such an occasion. “You gotta stop spacing out dude, you’re our leader. We’re counting on you.”

Akira chuckle comes out as an awkward cough. She mentally slapped herself for the hint of nervousness in she heard in her voice.

“Oh, Skull,” Mona sighed, “You really can’t think for yourself with that tiny brain of yours.”

Before Joker had any time to interject, the two of them were at each other’s throat once more. She liked that they depended on her, that’s why she was so worried that something was wrong with her.

The gang returned to the Mona car. Skull recklessly opened the door and kicked the seat in front of him.

“Ryuji, stop that!” Panther shouted as she got in to sit in the front passenger seat. Joker didn’t bother in trying to correct her in using codenames. It was their last training session in Mementos before sending out the calling card to confront Fox’s mentor. Tensions were high, so Mona and Skull were at each other’s throats more than usual. Fox seemed to have adapted quite well to the group considering what he had been through.

Fox sat in the backseat, absentmindedly touching his mask. “I… don't dislike Japanese clothing, but…” he pauses briefly, “why the mask?”

Skull turned his head to face him. The seat between them was empty. “If you want something goofier, there’s always a hyottoko mask.” Even when facing the road, Joker could tell that he had a grin on his face as he said that.

She scoffed, “That wouldn’t fit him at all.” She felt a little self-conscious about the raised tone and how quickly she had commented. She turned to Panther who seemed uninterested in the conversation and was playing with her hair.   
“A hyottoko is supposed to be a guy breathing fire from a bamboo pipe, yeah? Sounds more fitting for Panther.”

“Hey!” Panther sat up straight, her heels digging into the floor, “I’m not a man!”

“OW! Heels!” Mona winced. Joker felt sorry for the two, but she couldn’t resist teasing her.

There was a short struggle of driving safely while Panther was hitting her arm repeatedly, but after she had calmed down the rest of the Mementos trip was rather uneventful. They continued to battle until they felt like they had devised enough strategies to take on Madarame next. Mona returned to his bipedal form as they climbed the escalator leading to the entrance.

Thoughts were running wild in Joker’s head, what was going to happen when they faced Madarame off in the Palace? If they even could make it there, what if they couldn’t pull the calling card off?

I should probably pick up some more items for the unavoidable fight.

“Hey, Joker,” Skull called out and picked up the pace to walk beside her. “You wanna go shopping with me later?”

Joker’s eyes widened in surprise, and she briefly wondered if he could read her thoughts. “Uhm, sure. You mean tomorrow before delivering the calling card, right?”

“Awesome! I’ll wait outside your classroom then,” he excitedly fist pumped the air.

Before she could ask where he had gotten that newly founded energy from, Panther was heard mumbling behind the two of them.

“Huh? You two shopping together…? Sounds suspicious.”

Joker scoffed at her comment. “Oh, come on! We’re just going to buy things for the mission!”

“Hmm, I wonder...” Panther playfully hummed. “Could those rumours in school be true about the two of you dating?”

“Come on, they are saying that every time they see a guy and a girl hang out,” Ryuji calmly stated. “And you know why we’re hanging out.”   
  
“She’s just teasing to get back at me for the hyottoko comment,” Joker smiled and waved her hand dismissively at Panther sticking her tongue out. The group exited Mementos and returned to Shibuya.   
  
The group quickly discussed their plans for tomorrow, Ryuji and Akira would buy supplies for the upcoming battle and then the group would meet up to discuss how to send the calling card. She tried to avoid sneaking glances at Yusuke and push any thoughts about his appearance out of her mind, but it proved to be harder than what she anticipated.

_We have a battle coming up, focus on your responsibilities as a leader._

Why did she have such an urge to look at him?

 

* * *

 

“Welcome back,” Sojiro greeted her as bells attached to the door announced her return. Her phone immediately started blowing up with chat notifications as if on cue.

“Hey,” she greeted him back and scouted the café before continuing, her eyes glued on the crossword puzzle left behind in one of the booths. “So… how was business today?”

Sojiro sighed. “As usual,” his response was almost nothing more than a mumble. Akira tried her best to not drag her feet as she approached the stairs. “You seem tired lately, did something happen?”

She stopped and took her right hand out of her pocket to tuck some hair behind her ear. “Oh, nothing out of the norm. Just school stuff.” Sojiro’s expression turned grim.

“Well, remember that you brought this change on yourself before you decide to do something stupid again.”

She sighed at yet another lecture. “I know,” she said under her breath and walked up the stairs. Morgana slid out of her schoolbag as soon as she placed it on the table.

“Are you okay?” He carefully asked her. Akira didn’t respond and instead fell face-down onto her bed which currently felt like heaven to her. She had to gather some energy to think of something witty.

“Do you think anyone will notice tomorrow if I sleep in the same clothes?”

“Gross!”

She groaned as she sat up, “Shut up, you don’t know my pain of having to change clothes. Besides, I carried you all the way here!”

Morgana let out a frustrated sigh. “I carried you and the rest of the team when we were in Mementos!”  
  
Akira grinned, “Believe me, I know just how tiring it can be to carry the entire team.”   
Morgana rolled his eyes at her comment, but she still considered it to be a victory.   
“Alright, fine, turn around so I can get changed.”

 

* * *

 

Both Ann and Yusuke were waiting at the meeting place when Ryuji and Akira arrived.

“Thanks for waiting,” Akira said as she dropped the Mona-bag on the ground, the cat instantly jumped out and climbed on top of the railing. Ryuji handed her a can of milk tea from his bag.  
“We can take him down now, yes?” Yusuke asked as Ryuji and Akira walked in between him and Ann.

“Madarame is going to be a changed man,” Morgana responded. Akira leant on the railing with her elbows while holding her drink, Ryuji mimicked her and stared at the people walking below. “There won’t be any way to revert it though. Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

There was a brief pause before Yusuke replied. “I have thought it over carefully,” he folded his arms across his chest, “I cannot think of a future in which he does not pay his dues.”   
Akira turned her head slightly to get a read of Yusuke’s face. His face was calm, and his gaze rested on something that she could not see. “He has preyed not only on the art world, but on countless talents…”   
A gentle smile appeared on his face, and his eyes met Akira’s, “...So I humbly request your help.”

Her stomach flipped, and Akira had to break eye-contact, “Alright” she said in a steady voice, though she did not feel as composed as she sounded.

“I apologise for making you do this…” His voice suddenly turned uncertain. Akira straightened her back.

“Please don’t apologise,” her previous shyness had dissipated.

Ann followed suit with a warm smile on her face. “We just didn’t want to impose if you weren’t feeling up to it. But if you’re already determined to do it, then there’s nothing more for us to say.”

Akira thought she could see the ghost of a smile on Yusuke’s face. His eyes scanned the busy station, “If I recall, our next step is sending a “calling card”, correct? What a suave manoeuvre.”

She tried to hold back a laugh, but it came out as a snort. Akira had always thought that the way that Yusuke spoke was odd, but it was something in the way he said the word "suave" that couldn’t stop her from smiling. He had a soothing voice. Ryuji started to laugh too, but at something completely different, he pointed at a young man who had fallen over and was now exposing his buttocks. Morgana remained unphased.

“It’s not about acting cool,” he corrected Yusuke, “The calling card is a way to trigger a change in his cognition.” Akira phased Morgana out and was now looking at the embarrassed and trouserless man trying to regain his cool. She had already been through this rodeo once; it’s nothing new.

“Crap, he totally caught me off guard with that…” Ryuji’s whispering brought Akira back to reality. If Ryuji was paying more attention than her in the conversation, then she really ought to listen. “It’s kinda weird thinkin’ there might be whole worlds we just don’t know about...”  
He turned to Akira gingerly. “...Did the thought ever cross your mind?”  
“Of course it did,” Akira said, straightening her back. At this rate, she was going to get a poor posture before she even hits 20. Before she could elaborate, Morgana interrupted.

“Don’t be so anxious. You don’t even know everything about the city you live in, after all.”

Ryuji scoffed at Morgana. Akira leant over and whispered to Ryuji, “I was thinking more about sci-fi and other lifeforms on other planets.” His smile returned.

Morgana’s lesson continued, “All that’s important is that we know how to make use of that world and how to traverse it.”

Ryuji slumped down to the ground, tired of standing up. He put his empty soda can next to him and took Akira’s empty can as well when she reached out to hand it over to him.   
Morgana moved to the railing that Ryuji was earlier leaning onto, now all warmed up.   
“So it’s decided! Let’s prepare the calling card at once!”

“Will he take it seriously?” Yusuke said, stretching his legs by taking a few steps closer to the group so he could face them all at once. “He is famous, after all… He has often received slanderous letters till now, as well…”

“He’ll know best whether the crime written on it is real or not,” Ryuji said confidently as he opened another can of soda. The group didn’t look convinced.

Morgana crept back into the Mona bag, “Wait. Are you going to write it again, Ryuji? That last one was questionable at best.” He sounded very unimpressed.

“Oh, come on, it wasn’t that bad, and it did its job,” Akira commented, but it seemed to have fallen on deaf ears of the criticizers.

“You should do it, Yusuke!” Ann sounded enthusiastic, “Make it all artistic and stuff!”

Yusuke shook his head. “No, it’ll end up with him figuring it out. He knows my drawing and writing style all too well.” It didn’t come as a surprise, seeing as Madarame had most likely plagiarised a lot of Yusuke’s work, but it still made Akira angry anew.

Ryuji suddenly got up, all excited, “Oh! Then I’ll think it up, and you make it cooler!”

Yusuke seemed to approve of this suggestion as a pleased smirk appeared on his face. Akira suddenly felt the urgent need to look away once again. “Designing a calling card…” Yusuke thoughtfully hummed, “Interesting. It shall become proof that the Phantom Thieves do exist.”

She was losing focus once again. But why!? She internally flagellated herself for being so childish in having difficulties in maintaining eye-contact, yet she caught herself looking at Yusuke and feeling embarrassed when he notices that she was looking.

_I’m not… crushing on him am I?_

“Great!” Morgana’s raised voice brought her out of her train of thoughts, which she was thankful for since she could see an imminent crash where that train was heading. “All that’s left is to make the treasure ours! You guys better come fully prepared!”

“Dude, why do you think we went shopping just earlier?” Ryuji commented as he finished his second soda can.

Akira picked up the Mona bag and briskly headed towards her train. She didn’t want to spend a minute longer there in case she would once again stare at Yusuke’s long lashes and think about how soothing his voice sounded.

_Oh god, no. Oh god, oh god, no no no!_

She was worried that her heart was going to leap out off her chest and that her concern was showing.

“Akira! Why did you just leave like that!?” Morgana angrily meowed from the bag.

“I have to pick up some medicine from Takemi’s clinic and make tools before going to bed,” Akira successfully fumbled for an excuse as she sent a message in the chat trying to explain that to her team. She had better get over this crush on her teammate as soon as possible before it would throw the entire group dynamic off and ruin what they had.

She tried to calm herself down by telling herself that Yusuke might not even be a permanent member and that right now she needs to push her feelings aside so that she can lead the team to victory.

But it’s not easy to suppress one’s feelings. Both Takemi and Sojiro asked her why she was frowning so.

A slight side-step in self-flagellation led to Akira digging a sharp tool in her left index finger.

“Ow!”

“Careful!” Morgana reprimanded her. “I told you to not to hold it like that.”

She mumbled an apology and tried to resume making a lockpick. Morgana’s expression softened. “Are you alright? You seem distracted ever since the meeting.”

Akira glanced at her phone which was placed on the workbench. It had gone silent with no recent updates from Ryuji or Yusuke regarding the card progress. “Just anxious about tomorrow. Don’t really know what to expect.”

Morgana gave her a compassionate smile, “Don’t worry. We have our plan, and we’ll stick to it. Everything will be fine.” Silence was hanging in the air, and all Akira could do was to give a weak smile as a response. She didn’t feel like talking, nor trying to finish the lockpick she had begun working on.

“Let’s take a break from here. We can make more tools another time,” Morgana said and hopped down from the bench. Akira quietly nodded. 11 PM. She yawned loudly and stretched her arms in the air as high up as she could muster.

“I’ll get a band-aid, and then we can hit the sack,” she said and slowly got up from the chair.

 

* * *

 

_Push everything aside but the mission. Overthinking things will only cause problems and lead to more disaster._

_Let go and embrace tranquillity, let your body bend and move with the flow._

_You’re a Phantom Thief, stealer of both hearts and treasure._

_This is just another mask to put on._

 

Akira took a deep breath as they said the keywords to enter Madarame’s Museum. Black and red circles distorted her view like oil drops in water. She could feel the comforting blue flames surround her as her mask appeared. She turned around, facing her teammates.

“Let’s do this,” she said with confidence, a grin slowly forming.

They all nodded and followed Joker’s lead.

“The atmosphere in here seems significantly different…” Fox said with curiosity in his voice as they had made it past the first rooms.

Joker dodged behind a vase and gave the signal for everyone to stop. Skull was hiding behind another vase together with Panther. “I mean, we did basically declare war on him by sendin’ that card,” he whispered to Fox.

“But there’s nothing to fear,” Mona reassured Fox. “We’ve secured a route, and we’re ready to go. We’ll take this treasure in style!”

Joker chuckled at the comment and waved at her team to follow. The group made their way through the Palace, avoiding all of the guards despite there being more of them than before.

“OK! Everyone to your positions!”

Skull and Panther left to take care of the lights. Fox would secure Mona and Joker was waiting for his signal.

“Joker! Now!”

She pulled down the handle until it clicked and stayed in position. The metal wire rattling was the only indication she had that things were still going according to plan.

“Sorry for the wait!” Panther came rushing into the room, Ryuji soon followed.

“My bad! It took me ages to get that guy off my trail!”

Joker pulled up the lever, and the group went to reconverge with Mona before the lights were turned back on.

“Hehehe, how’s that for a skilled plan?” Mona asked, with a huge smirk on his face. He was holding the treasure covered in purple cloth.

“That was amazing, Mona!” Skull congratulated him and helped to untie the bipedal cat. They could hear the panicked voices of both the security guards and Madarame coming from below.

“So? What’d the treasure turn out bein’? I’m guessing it’s a painting based on the shape.”

Fox walked in between the two and grabbed the rope from Skull’s hands. “We can look into that later,” He secured the treasure on Mona’s back, “For now, we must escape.”

Joker wanted to protest, saying that it’s important that they know what they have stolen, but let it slide as she knew that he was more focused on the change of heart rather than thievery. She quickly scanned her surroundings. Going back the same way they came from was going to be too dangerous. Her eyes focused on a window nearby.

“It’s better if we leave the interior of the building as soon as possible rather than run around in corridors filled with guards.”

She quickly jumped across the wooden platforms. “Oh, a window!” Skull said as he realised where their leader was heading, “But where does it go...?”

Fox followed suit. “Now is no time to be lost in thought, we must go!” He jumped out of the window and Joker quickly followed. They landed safely outside, but there was still a long trip down to the ground.

“Easy, Yusuke. Giving in to panic leads to critical mistakes,” she said as they waited for the rest of the group. When they had all converged, Joker resumed lead. The rectangular shapes offered good jumping down points similar to a giant staircase.   
There was a red portal, and they made the split decision to head through it since there was no other way to continue to head down without breaking bones.

“Is this the courtyard?” Skull gasped. They started to run across but then meowing sounds were heard followed by an outburst from Mona.

“I just can’t take it any more! Let’s take a look at this treasure!” He said and placed the painting down on the ground. Fox protested, but Joker stopped him by raising her arm to block his path. Panther and Skull crouched down to help Mona lift the purple cloth.

Fox and Joker approached the painting as they heard Ryuji yell in both anger and shock.

It was a painting of a Henohenomoheji, granted that the writing was nicer than Joker’s, she hadn’t done one of those since she was in elementary school and learning how to write.

“I know that you said that Madarame doesn’t paint on his own, but is his creativity that low…?” Akira whispered to Fox, who was frozen in place. She noticed that there was a golden petal that had gotten stuck between his mask and hair.

“Get back!” He suddenly shouted. Joker turned around in time to see that the security rods were being raised. Fox’s warning had ensured that everyone managed to scatter away from the treasure unharmed.

“Meddlesome vermin.” The voice came from behind them. They turned around and saw that it was Madarame’s Shadow. He had two security guards with him, one on each side. The Phantoms grouped together and stood ready to fight.   
“Is this what you’re looking for?” He said and pointed with his chin to the security guard who was carrying something underneath his arm.

“What nonsense that you used a mousetrap on me!” Mona yelled in indignation.

Ryuji joined in. “So, you had a fake prepped, huh!?”

Joker sighed internally; all this was going to do was feed Madarame’s ego and lead to a monologue. Though he seemed like the kind of man who would reveal all of his plans during a monologue, so she didn’t silence her teammates.

“Counterfeits are acceptable in the world of Japanese Art,” Madarame cooly replied.

Fox seemed to have had enough of Madarame’s explanations and excuses for his behaviour. “What made you change like this!?” He asked. “Is it because you became famous!?” His voice was filled with desperation. “Can’t you understand how much it pains me to inquire about the crimes of my foster father!?”   
Joker’s chest felt tight. He said "foster father", not "teacher". Did he want to hurry out of there, so he didn’t have to listen anymore to Madarame’s Shadow spout more venomous things at him? Was he desperately trying to avoid having to fight him?

Her fists clenched. She knew that Madarame wasn’t going to hold back in answering those questions and she knew that they would hurt Yusuke.

“...Now that I think back, the only reason why I took you in was due to my ties with your mother.” Madarame’s expression turned serious, “That woman never lost her passion for painting even after her husband died. Her skills and talents were quite astonishing… That’s why I decided to look after her. Your mother and the art she created - they’re all MY works of art!”

“How low can you sink!?” Panther cried out as a response.

“Your… mother was his pupil as well?” Joker turned her head to look at Fox. “What happened to her…?” The last question barely made it out as a whisper. Fox didn’t answer; his gaze steadily challenged Madarame’s.

The Shadow let out a laugh. “I suppose I can grant you a gift before you die - a glimpse of the genuine “Sayuri”...!”

Fox’s gaze faltered. “Genuine…?”

The security guard carrying the painting adjusted his grip so that he could present the painting to the Phantoms.

The painting looked very different, the blue cloud smudges were gone and instead you could see that she was holding a small baby in her arms. Her loving yet sad gaze was meant for that child who had been painting over.

Fox couldn’t find any words.

“That’s… the real “Sayuri”...?” He eventually managed to get out. “This can’t be…!”

Joker squinted at the painting. The baby in the woman’s arm appeared to have a different hair colour than the mother’s...

“Mum...!”  
Yusuke’s cry snapped her out of her thoughts. Skull seemed equally as surprised.

“Indeed it is,” Madarame replied. “This was painted by your mother. It’s a portrait of herself. A woman who knew her death was coming painted her last wishes, for the son she would leave behind.” He spread his arms as if making a boisterous reveal, “That is the truth behind the mystery of “Sayuri”’s expression!”

“You stole something THAT personal...!?” Skull barked. Madarame’s crimes kept surprising them all.

“I knew it at first glance,” Madarame wiped a few golden petals that had stuck to his face, “I knew it’d be a huge success, if I added a touch to the painting and announced it under my name!”

“But the baby in the picture...” Fox raised his gaze once more to challenge Madarame’s, “Why did you paint over it…?”

A disgusting grin split Madarame’s face in two. “...It was all to stage it.” He paused to let out a chuckle. “If the babe is erased, the reason for the woman’s expression will become a mystery…! That is what the general public is drawn to! Each of those parasitic critics wrote the same thing!”

Panther straightened her posture. There was plenty of golden petals stuck in her hair. “I always felt something was off about all this… Now I know what it is. If you really treasured that painting, you wouldn’t even think about replicating it for profit!” She pointed her finger in confrontation at Madarame, “You don’t love art at all!”

“Though you have a real Treasure, your true skills are nothing more than those scribbles on that fake!” Mona pointed at the “Treasure” that they had attempted to steal.

“More importantly…” Joker interrupted her team’s session of yelling their angry reactions. “...What did you do to her? What happened to his mother? I doubt she would’ve agreed to you taking such an important painting from her.”

Joker could tell from the corner of her eye that Fox’s gaze was brought down to the floor.

“I’ve heard that you destroy your “art” once they outlive their usefulness..” He began his question carefully. “...Did that include my mother as well?”  
  
Madarame was still smiling, even at a question like that.

“She just so happened to have a seizure in front of me,” he said with a matter-of-fact voice, “That’s when a thought crossed my mind… If I don’t call for help and leave her be, I could obtain her painting without any strings attached.”

They all took a step back in horror.

“No…”

“You let her die!?” Both Panther and Joker asked in unison.  
  
“She was physically weak. No one would doubt if she just dropped dead because of a seizure.”   
Joker was getting increasingly annoyed at this Shadow. She wanted to dig her dagger into his throat to keep him from talking and hurting Yusuke any longer, but she knew it wasn’t the right action. She shifted her coat so she could access her dagger more easily now when it had manifested, should she need it.

“Above all, Yusuke, didn’t you think it was odd - that I discovered your talent when you were only three?” Madarame continued. “The reason why I kept you around was to keep you from realising the truth behind “Sayuri”.”

“You killed her..!” Fox growled.

“The artistic talents you inherited from your mother were a delightful miscalculation, though. If I’m to steal ideas, it’s much easier robbing the future of brats who won’t talk back than adults.”

The thought of how many of his teeth she could break by tossing her dagger crossed Joker’s mind. She was sick of his disgusting smile.

“It’s thanks to you that I came up with the idea. You have my gratitude,” Madarame concluded.

She wanted to fight.

“Yusuke, you don’t have to fight, just leave it to us,” she said. The response she received from him was not what she had expected.

A soft chuckle. With a hint of malcontent.

“I thank you, Madarame...!” He suddenly said. “Every reason for me to forgive you has disappeared without a trace at this very moment! You aren’t some rotten artist… You’re a despicable fiend who wears the skin of an artist!”

Blue flames appeared in front of him, and Fox grasped the katana that had manifested within them.

“All you good-for-nothings…!” Madarame began stomping his feet in anger, “Barging into my museum and doing whatever the hell you want…”

A pool of black appeared underneath him and started bubbling furiously. “You’re my work of art, Yusuke, so I’m going to reap you for the sake of my future… Along with those insolent friends of yours there.”

His human shape began to melt into black and red streaks. Joker widened her stance to balance the ground that was shaking and unsheathed her dagger.

“Those who have the connections make the rules; those who don’t, follow them. Not to mention, the value of art is all subjective! I make the rules in the art scene! I am the supreme being! I am the god of the art world!”

From the thick puddle emerged four paintings. Together, they all resembled a face.

“Just like the face he had scribbled on the fake,” Joker commented as Skull joined her side with his shotgun in hand.

Fox joined the battle line up next to Joker, “You used others for your own despicable desires, Madarame… You aren’t even worth the art you “create”…!”

Mona took the role of support from the backlines. “Joker, don’t lose focus! There’s no telling what he’ll try!” Panther took the left most position next to Skull.

Her mask caught fire as she pictured which of her Personas to summon.

“Leanan Sidhe!” The blond Aos Sí burst out into the battlefield. The Mapsi circles warped all of the paintings, but the nose one didn’t seem affected.

“Joker! The nose seems to drain Psychic attacks!” Mona called out to the frontlines.

“Then eat this!” Skull leapt forward and blasted the nose with two shells from his shotgun. In return, the right eye blasted him with Zio. The left one cast Tarukaja to improve the attack power of the mouth.

“Carmen!” Panther summoned her Persona who engulfed all the paintings in fire. This time it was the eyes that remained unaffected by their attacks. The mouth painting slowly gaped open as it moved towards Joker. She backflipped just in time to avoid it chomping down on her. Fox then tried to strike the painting as it was within proximity.

“It didn’t work…!?” he doubled back and cast Bufu on the painting, which did work.

“Joker! You know what to do right!?” Mona called from a distance. “The paintings have different resistances, so you can’t attack them all with the same attacks. Try to coordinate your attacks with the team so you can take them down with different attacks!”

“Got it!” She responded as she took out her gun to aim at the eyes, firing all the bullets in her clip. She tossed the empty clip aside and loaded a new one. The eye twitched at her, and suddenly flames appeared. The pain shot through her body and she collapsed to the ground when it reached her legs. As the flames burned out, she could see Fox got hit by a follow-up attack on him, leading him to get knocked off balance as well.

Ryuji’s Zio brought the mouth painting down, and Panther sprayed with her submachine gun on the three remaining painting. Joker gasped for air to find the energy to get back up on her feet. She should switch her Persona.   
“Need a hand!?” Mona called out, readying his slingshot.

“Let’s go!” Joker responded, and Mona jumped to the front lines and fired away with his slingshot. Joker followed up with a graceful throw of her dagger towards the left eye. It hit straight in the iris, she jumped up to retrieve it, but almost ruined her balance.

“Nigi Mitama!” she called out on unsteady feet. The Media spell patching her and her teammates up slightly. She felt much better now, and could confidently order her teammates’ attacks to take the remaining paintings down.

It felt like it was a close call for both Panther and Fox who were low on energy after being hit with defence lowering spells just to be then struck by an elemental spell they were weak against. Joker felt as if she had been demoted to healing bot to ensure that none of her comrades would fall during this battle.

As the last of the paintings hit the ground, they melted into a black puddle. From the darken vapours, Joker could spot Madarame’s figure emerging from the ground, clutching his side.

“Dammit… I’m the great Madarame...” He cursed as he tried to make himself steady. “The Madarame who gathers a full crowd every time he opens an exhibit! I’m not someone that worthless brats like you are allowed to defy…!”

  
The Phantoms surrounded him from every direction, their guns loaded and pointing towards him. “You still have the nerve to say such things!?” Fox angrily questioned him, his eyes focused on the rifle sight. “You will fully taste the wrath of those who were preyed upon by you!”

Joker glanced over to Fox who gave her a silent nod of approval.

“Do it!” She called out to the rest of her teammates. “All-out attack!” The Phantoms jumped him, like a pack of starving feral dogs, their attacks came in a flurry. When they stopped attacking him, Madarame once again melted his shape to become the face paintings.

“Shit!” Joker cursed under her breath. She would much rather not draw out this fight and have him pleading on his knees. Her blade struck the bridge of the nose painting.

Suddenly, her vision started to turn black, as if something was painting over her eyes. She stumbled back, trying to wipe away whatever was covering her eyes. Her clothes were dripping wet.

“What is this attack!?” Mona gasped. “It has to be more than just our colour changing! We should be cautious!”

Colour changing? She thought, not able to see what had happened to her. Joker could hear the sounds of her teammates continuing the battle, though she couldn’t see a single thing. She decided to brace herself for any attack that might be incoming.   
She felt the air around her move, and she held her breath. A wind attack, perhaps. The harsh winds cut her cheeks, but she kept her arms steady to protect her vital organs.   
Something came clamping down on her arms. A loud yelp was let out; the pain was excruciating, she felt panic grab ahold of her as her sight was restored. The mouth painting had bitten her and was grinding its teeth against her flesh. Fearing that somewhere in that gushing wound of her arm bones were exposed, she struggled with her legs, pressing down on his lips desperately trying to make him open his mouth.

Skull came to her rescue, using the mouth painting as a jumping off point, he slammed the nose painting down with his iron pipe, sending the nose painting crashing down to the mouth painting. Panther immediately cast Dia on her when she was out of the Mouth’s grip.

Madarame continued to cast the attack where someone would be painted black and vulnerable to any attacks. Joker did her best to try and down the paintings that were about to attack her teammates, but it is hard to manage both healing her friends and dealing damage.

The paintings were downed once more, but Madarame didn’t remain in his human shape for very long before he turned back to the paintings. She was starting to get low on stamina; it became more difficult for her to summon her Persona.

“What do we do?” She heard Mona say from the sidelines. Her eyes drifted to the sides where there were cans of black paint.

“Let’s use that,” She nodded toward the paint cans.

Fox nodded in approval, “Time to bestow the humiliation of being painted over to him…!”

“Fox, you go,” Joker told her teammate before emptying her last clip on the right eye. The rest of the team followed, attempting to distract him from noticing their missing teammate. Joker couldn’t keep up with both healing and dealing attacks; she tried to help Skull who had passed out after being knocked down by a wind attack when painted black.

Fox then jumped out from the sidelines and gracefully painted over the paintings, as if he was dancing. Joker breathed a sigh of relief; surely this was the turn where Madarame was going down. The paintings melted away on the ground, and Madarame’s figure once again appeared. He crawled backwards, hiding behind the “Sayuri”.

Fox continuously stepped forward, as if he was a predator approaching a terrified and trapped prey.

“No one cares for true art… All they want are easily recognisable brands...!” Madarame gave more of his sorry excuses. “I’m a victim in this too…! Wouldn’t you agree!?”

Fox stopped moving as Madarame stopped crawling. “The art world revolves around money after all… You can’t rise up without any money… Yusuke, you understand, don’t you!? Being a poor artist is truly miserable…!”

She wished that she could see his face, but his back was turned against the group.

“I just didn’t want to return to that life!” Madarame cried.

Fox grabbed the man by the collar as his response. “A fiend like you has no right to speak about the world of art! You’re done for, along with this abominous world!” He growled.

Madarame let out a yelp, “No please! Just… don’t kill me…!” he pleaded.

Fox tossed him to the ground, watching his mentor’s shadow snivel and cough on the ground. “Return to yourself in reality and confess your crimes - all of them!”

“Y-You’re not going to kill me...?”

“Swear it!” Fox commanded with a burning anger in his voice.

Madarame feebly gave in. But then he glanced over to the rest of the group who were standing behind Fox. “Wh-What about the other one though? The one with the black mask?”

All of them had the same puzzled look on their face. “Who..?” Joker asked.

“Who’s he talking about?” Panther asked.

Mona’s eyes widened. “It can’t be…” There was another intruder besides us within this Palace…?”

Before they could continue to speculate, the ground started to shake, and some dust fell from above.

“There’s no time! Hurry!”

Mona transformed into a car, and the group boarded. Joker took the driving seat and looked in the mirror to see where Yusuke was. He had grabbed the painting and was heading towards the Mona car at a calm pace. He turned to Madarame, perhaps saying his last words to the shadow.

“Does the Mona car have a car horn?” She asked.

Panther popped her head out of the window, “Yusuke!”

He then picked up the pace, despite Madarame’s pleas for him to stay.

 

* * *

 

 

“The destination has been deleted.”

Akira felt so tired that she just wanted to sit down on the ground and rest. She tucked her phone away; it was getting late.

Morgana was leaning on her shoulder from the bag. “It would be bad if people started getting suspicious of us. We should leave at once.”

She looked over at Yusuke. He looked tired, but his gaze wouldn’t leave the painting that he has in his hands.

“Yusuke, c’mon,” Ryuji called out to him and signalled the direction to the hideout.

“Right…” He mumbled. “Goodbye, Sensei.” He said without looking up from the painting.

 

* * *

 

 

The mood was rather sombre when they arrived at the hideout. Ryuji immediately opened his last can of soda and handed Akira her last can of milk tea.

“I guess the mission was a success,” he said and sat down on the ground. “All that’s left is to see if he had a change of heart.”

Akira stood next to Yusuke; his eyes were still glued to the painting. “She’s very beautiful,” she said in a soft voice. “Your mother, that is.”

“The “Sayuri”...” Yusuke mumbled.

Ryuji looked at him. “You’re not gonna get all teary-eyed and say stuff like “Mum…!” are you?”

Akira’s brows knitted a frown, “Ryuji, I swear to god...!”

Yusuke merely chuckled in response. “To think that this painting was the source of Madarame’s distorted desires. The only saving grace is that my mother won’t know of what transpired…”

Morgana peeked out of the bag to speak. “The genuine painting at his atelier has been altered, after all… Ironic as it may be, this one here is her true self-portrait now.”

“It’s a wonderful painting,” Ann commented with a gentle smile on her face. “And… although it took some time, it’s in your hands now, Yusuke.”

“...I’m thankful for it,” he finally looked up from the painting and meet Akira’s eyes. “However, it’s impossible for this painting to be acknowledged by society anymore…”

“It that a bad thing though?” Akira asked. “It was a personal painting, after all, she painted it for you.” When Yusuke didn’t answer, Akira changed the question, “Was “Sayuri” your mother’s name.”

“No,” Yusuke responded, “I doubt it’s the name of any woman in particular. I bet it was to make it more mysterious - just a part of Madarame’s foolish staging.”

“Well, it would’ve been obvious that he plagiarised it if he had used her real name,” Morgana interjected.

“I guess you’re right,” Akira shifted her feet slightly.

Yusuke’s gaze returned to the painting. “So… this is my mother…” he paused to gather his thoughts. “There’s no way that I would remember her face clearly… But I was right about the rush of emotion I felt when I saw this painting.” A small smile appeared on his face.

Akira felt relieved over seeing him smiling. They stood there in silence watching the painting as Ryuji got up to buy another drink. When he returned, he burped straight in Ann’s face.

“Stop that!” Her tone was angry.

“Ryuji, you’re like an 8-year-old boy teasing the girl that she likes in school,” Akira commented. Morgana joined in on the scolding.

“You’re so vulgar, Ryuji.”

He shook it off like water on a duck’s back. “So what’re you gonna do now?” He asked Yusuke. “We’re gonna keep targetin’ big shots.”

Yusuke gave him a quizzing look. “...Why do you do such things?”

“It’s to get back at scumbags and like… society in general?” He responded.

Akira sighed, “So very eloquent…”

Ryuji continued, but now with a frown on his face, “We also wanna give courage to the people that’re sufferin’ ‘cause of selfish adults.”

“Courage, hm…” Yusuke said in a thoughtful tone. “What good does that do? You mean the courage to stand up for themselves, correct? Will acquiring that make them happy?”

“I’m not sure,” Akira responded in Ryuji’s stead.

Ann nodded in agreement, “Right. There’s no knowing that. We just have to give it a try.”

“...In other words, it all depends on the person, hm?” Yusuke tucked the painting underneath his left arm.

“Kinda how it did with you,” Akira filled in. “You were suffering because of how Madarame was treating you and all of his past pupils. And um… You were quite clear about not wanting our help until you stumbled into the Metaverse.”

Yusuke nodded, “I would wish to continue investigating these Palaces, it may expand my artistic repertoire.”

Akira felt a smile appear on her face, “So will you be joining us?”

“You really only think about art, huh?” Ryuji stretched his shoulders, “You’re impressive.”

“I won’t take part in any inelegant plans, all right?”

Ann gave him a confident wink, “No worries! I’ve got us covered! Plus, we have a rule that says we always have to decide on a target unanimously”

“We should be able to give those calling cards a little more “oophm” now that we got Yusuke on our team!” Morgana cheered from the bag.

“I will try and live up to those expectations.”

Akira couldn’t deny how nice it felt to have Yusuke look at her with a smile on his face instead of a scowl and icy glare. However, she still felt a little embarrassed, and her cheeks were heating up slightly.

Though these feelings would have to wait as Morgana brought up the topic of the other intruder that Madarame has mentioned. They discussed it for a bit and then Ann suggested that everyone in the group gets Yusuke’s contact info.

Her heart began beating faster again as she put in Yusuke’s phone number in her contacts list. It felt silly that something so small would get her excited.

 

_This isn't right, and definitely not the right place for it_ , she thought.

 

“An artist and a phantom thief… It seems I’ll be engaging in two trades from here on…” Yusuke hummed thoughtfully. “You only live once, after all.”

 

* * *

 

Akira cheerfully greeted Sojiro and the almost empty café as she finally arrived late during the evening. He seemed confused about her sudden mood change, but Akira happily brought up her index finger to her mouth and said, “It’s a secret!”

She then withdrew her phone from her pocket to see if Yusuke had written anything. Morgana jumped up on the bed.

“Not only have we dealt with our second big target, we even have a new addition to the team!” He stretched out his back before continuing, “Goodness, things are going so well!”

Akira kept staring at her phone, waiting for that message to appear. When it was becoming obvious that it wouldn’t appear, she tucked it back into her pocket. “Well, it’s all thanks to you,” she said.

“Aww! If only I could make a certain, stupid Ryuji learn from you...” he purred. “But I have to say, you sure are something special. This is our fifth Persona-user. It’ll help broaden our battle strategies as well.”

“Yeah…” She agreed, pondering about how she should change her load-out only to have one Persona that could cast Ice spells. Or perhaps that was a bad idea? “Hmm…”

“Besides,” Morgana continued, “having an eye for beauty is a must for phantom thieves. We’re lucky to have Yusuke.”

“What do you mean?” Akira asked, “Do we have to start cherry-picking what we steal when it’s better just to steal anything that we can carry out of the Palace?”

Morgana sighed. “An artist is a talent you rarely come across. I mean, he IS a bit strange, but still.”

“He’s not that weird,” she defended him, “I think he’s just been over sheltered from the world, so he doesn’t really know how to act around people.” Akira got up to fetch her PJs. “Alright, turn around so I can get dressed. The last patron was still downstairs when we returned so I can’t use the bathroom to change.”

There was a moment of silence while Akira was getting changed, but then Morgana spoke up.

“What kind of person do you think I was?” He asked. “There’s no way I’d turn out to be some bad guy in the end, right? I get so engrossed with the embodiment of human desires...”

“Nope, no way,” Akira cheerfully claimed as she plopped back to the bed, now dressed in PJs. “Why? Are you worried about your past revealing that you did something horrible?”

“Wouldn’t you be?” Morgana asked. “I know more about the metaverse than my past, and I’m the only one who can transform into car… I’m special, but strange…” His voice had turned to a whisper.

Akira put her phone to charge and then turned back to face Morgana. “Your past doesn’t define you. Regardless of who you were then, you’re you now,” she tried to comfort him, but those words seemed to have landed on deaf ears, so she turned to another strategy of cheering up. “Maybe you’re a Persona? Wouldn’t that be cool? Though you’re probably a cat since that’s the appearance you have when outside of the Metaverse.”

“Will you give it a rest!? That’s not the case!” His sigh had audible frustration in it, “What a half-assed answer...”

Akira shrugged nonchalantly and put up her feet onto the bed. “How should I know?” She started to pull the covers over her, “Come on, hop onto the blanket.”

Morgana began to monologue about the person that he thinks he would be, while Akira briefly tunes him out to check on her phone. Still nothing.

“So if I turn back to being a human…” Morgana hadn’t noticed that she had briefly tuned him out, “Surely she’ll take notice of me, won’t she?”

“Who me?”

“No, not you!”

Akira chuckled, “Sooo, you like someone?” she hummed.

Morgana denied it. “Me!? Don’t be ridiculous! People chase after me when it comes to love!” He sighed and curled up into a ball. “Where should I go when I become human…? I wonder where she’d like to go…”

Akira sighed. That cat was hopeless.

“Harajuku,” she replied, “and hop onto the blanket or I’ll cover you with it. I don’t want my feet to get cold.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't been feeling well lately, and I think it shows in this chapter. I decided to cut it since it felt like it was dragging on for too long. 
> 
> TW: Anxiety

She had naively hoped that her crush on Yusuke would pass soon enough. Akira had begun to sympathise with how Morgana was so outwardly pining for Ann. Keeping all those feelings inside hurt, but she would rather die than being caught saying something foolish like, _“Monsieur Yusuke”_. She cringed hard at the thought of it. But one must vent from time to time, and Akira occasionally lets out her frustration by screaming into her pillow or when hanging out with Ryuji, usually when they were working out.

  
“Jeez, you must’ve been pushin’ yourself hard,” Ryuji panted, his hands placed on his knees. The sun was beaming down on them - additional punishment for them deciding to go running on a Saturday.

Akira was lying down on the ground and covered her face with her arms as she continued to groan audibly. When there was no response, she peeked at the sky between her arms. There were a few clouds slowly making their journey across.

“That’s nice...” she commented as Ryuji had placed the water bottle on top of her forehead. He chuckled as he attempted to balance it, but it quickly slid down onto the ground as he let go. The bottle landed with a soft thud next to her left ear.

“You wanna go grab some ramen after this?” She asked as she sat up on the ground.

Ryuji grinned, “Hell yeah! I was just thinking about how great that would be. Damn, it’s so nice to hang out with someone who gets you, know what I mean?”

“Well, you know what they say, the quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” she unscrewed the bottle. “No, but really, it’s not that hard of a guess, we just worked out, and my fuel tank is empty.” She took several gulps, soothing her throat that had gone dry from the harsh breathing. Perhaps one day she would be able to run the entire lap without having to resort to walking now and then to catch her breath.

“Yeah, working out on an empty stomach is not good for you,” Ryuji said thoughtfully before finishing off his bottle. “I’m going to hit the showers, I’ll see you outside.”

 

* * *

 

“So, uh…” Ryuji carefully began. “About what you said before, about food being the quickest way to a guy’s heart.”

“Yup, I mean, it applies to the guys of the Phantom thieves. You, Morgana, Yusuke…” Akira recounted the male members of the group. Speaking of Yusuke, she looked at her phone to see if she had gotten a response from him yet.

“Yeah, so, is there anything like that which applies to girls?”

Akira sighed. Girl talk. Did every guy friend she had going to ask the same questions about girls? “Well, it depends on the person… There’s no one surefire way to someone’s heart. Food usually works because it’s non-controversial.”

“Yeah, but, a lot of girls are on diets and stuff,” He stirs the noodles around in his bowl.

She scratches the back of her neck, “...Do you have someone particular in mind?”

Ryuji’s eyes widen in shock. “Wh-What!? No! I was just thinkin’ that since the Phantom Thieves are getting all popular, that maybe, you know. I’d be able to get a girlfriend.”

Akira pursed her lips and shifted her focus to her food. “It's not like they'll know that you're one of the Phantoms…”  
She tapped her phone once again. No new notification. “Bah…” She let out a deep sigh as the screen once again faded to black. A few drops of soup spills out on the table as Akira pierces the lonely egg floating on top of the ramen noodles she ordered.

Ryuji glanced at her, slipping his noodles. “Why do you keep checkin’ your phone all the time?”

Her heart jumped, and she quickly put away her phone. “Nothing important,” she cleared her throat and resumed eating.

“Uh-huh,” Ryuji sounded unconvinced, “Didn't sound like nothin’ to me. You look like you just got caught on your phone in a classroom!”

Akira stared at the oil droplets floating around in the beef stock. “I'm just checking up on Yusuke. He's still living with Madarame, and we're not sure if he's had a change of heart yet. What if something happens to him?”

Ryuji’s face softened, “He'll be alright, Madarame’s hafta got a change of heart! Yusuke said that he'd had one, right?”

She pouted and swirled the noodles around in her bowl before eating a mouthful.   
“No. Just that his demeanour towards him had gotten softer.”

 

* * *

 

Akira hated to wait.

But there was nothing else that she could do.  
She had to restrain herself from sending too many messages to Yusuke. Otherwise, she would be a bother to him.

Ann and Ryuji tried to ease her worries whenever they spent time together. Both were jokingly commenting on how confident she had been in the beginning, but now she was the one who worried the most.

“Why don't you hang out with him?” Ann had asked as she had ended up dragging Akira with her to peruse makeup.

“Wh-What!?” She had nearly dropped the odd lipstick sample she was studying.

“We're all part of the Phantom Thieves, aren't we?” She beamed at Akira and wiped away some lipstick samples she had tried out on her arm. “Oh, are checking out those new two tone lipsticks from Korea? I've heard that they're great!”

“...But half of it is green?” Akira’s question sounded more like a statement than a question.

Ann smiled, unphased. “I think that green part is lip balm. I'm not sure how it works...” She took the sample from Akira and drew a line on her arm. “I think you actually have to try it on your lips to see a proper gradient.”

Akira pursed her lips. She was not willing to risk getting herpes by trying the sample on her mouth.

Ann briefly paused to think; she then clapped her hands together. “You should buy it!” She exclaimed enthusiastically. “It will look so good on you! I'll pay for it if you can't afford it!”

“Wh--” Akira began to protest, but Ann would have nothing of it.

“Come on! It's my treat! Just promise that you'll wear it!”

Akira wore a little makeup, mostly because otherwise people would non-stop ask her if she was tired or sick. She had occasionally played with the idea of trying something completely different. Maybe let her hair grow out and dye it brown, try on some lipstick…

_But wouldn't I stand out too much? Would I look too much as a try-hard?_

Akira battled her inner demons tearing at her self-esteem in silence.  
  


 

* * *

 

Akira thought her heart might jump out of her chest as she made her way to Shibuya station. She had the lipstick that Ann had bought for her in her bag, which was for once not occupied by Morgana. However, Akira had not found the courage she needed to try and put it on.

She was walking at a brisk pace, not too fast because otherwise, she might start to sweat. Zig-zagging amongst the crowd of people going to their different destination, Akira had now arrived at hers.

Yusuke was standing a short distance from the juice bar, seemingly spacing out. Akira placed her hand on her chest, wishing to calm her feelings before approaching him.

“Hey,” she greeted him. She moved to his side to stay out of the stream of people. “Thanks for waiting.”

The blue-haired boy chuckled without making any eye-contact. “It was nothing. I usually come here on my own volition.”

Akira blinked, her curiosity piqued. “How so?”

“People-watching,” Yusuke said with a pleased tone. “If I wish to capture the concepts of humanity in my art, I must observe people in everyday life.”

Akira leant back and chuckled. “Everything for the sake of art, huh?” Silence fell in between them as both of them looked at the flow of the crowd moved around them.   
“It's quite busy, and it's hard to register anything. I prefer sitting in a coffee shop and listen to the ambient noise.”

Yusuke raised an eyebrow. “I haven't tried that. Perhaps I'll visit the coffee shop Ryuji said you were living in.”

Her heart felt as if it was about to leap out of her chest. “Sure,” she said in between a chuckle and a cough.

“Why did you contact me and ask to meet you here?”

Akira stared at her shoes and the plastic bag she was carrying. “I… I was worried that you might not be eating well, so I brought you some food.”

Something sparkled in Yusuke’s eyes. “Why, thank you! I'm grateful. However, there's no reason for you to worry about me. I've been eating just as usual.”

Akira’s eyes fixated on how thin Yusuke’s wrists were as she handed over the bag. She wanted to ask if Madarame used to withhold food from him, but decided that it was inappropriate to ask such a personal question out of the blue.

“Is everything alright with you still living with Madarame?” She asked instead. “Anything new on that front to report?”

Yusuke scratched his arm. He looked so vulnerable, Akira wanted to hold him or at least say that everything would be alright. If Yusuke was feeling upset about it, he wasn't showing it. Instead, he looked thoughtful.   
“No, he's mostly been bedridden due to exhaustion, and he still seems completely unaware of what we've done in his Palace.”

She lowered her head and looked at the dirt on her shoes. She was going to have to polish them tonight, or at least before going back to school again.   
“I see…”

Silence fell between the two once more.

“I know that I keep asking you, and I don't want you to worry,” she tucked a few hair strands behind her ear and tried giving him a smile, “He'll have a change of heart. I promise.”

 

* * *

 

Ann nearly knocked Akira over with a sudden hug after she had heard about Madarame’s televised apology.

“We did it! We're so awesome!” Ann was gleefully tapping her feet. Akira almost lost her balance as Ann embraced her at their meeting spot in Shibuya station. People walking by were looking at them and whispering, but Ann seemed immune to it.

“We should get in touch with everyone and celebrate!”

Akira still wasn't up to speed on everything that was happening. She had registered that people were looking at them at that Ann's hair smelled like strawberries. Her feelings if you over a successful mission didn't catch up to her until after Ann had let go. Morgana was mumbling something his position on the railing that neither she or Ann seemed to register.

Akira’s smile widened when Yusuke showed up. She felt her cheeks heat up as he smiled back at her.

“Guys!” Ryuji nearly slammed into someone as he was running. “Madarame confessed to plagiarising his pupils’ works! It was on TV and everything! It's just like what happened to Kamoshida.”

All around the group were smiling faces, but Ann was undoubtedly smiling the brightest.   
“And they mentioned the Phantom Thieves!

Ryuji squeezed himself in between Ann and Akira to sit down on the ground to catch his breath. “Man, this is startin’ to get interesting… If we do it right, we can change people's hearts!”

Akira playfully rested her arm on his head, “We already knew that, dummy. It was never something that was in doubt.”

He pushed her arm off. “No, but, think about it! With this power, we might be able to do more than gettin’ back at society! It's a big deal!”

She chuckled. “This will be fun,” she said and smiled. Morgana jumped up on her shoulder. She felt like a villain, with a pet cat and all.

Ryuji got up, all excited. “Let's keep pushin’ then! I hope we keep getting more and more famous!”

“Something massive like this happening twice is too much to be a coincidence!” Morgana chimed in, attempting to hide from the public eye by hiding in Akira’s hoodie.

Akira’s brow furrowed, “Is fame all you guys care about?”

“Of course not!” Ann flipped one of her pigtails aside. “If we continue like this, we'll definitely be able to give courage to anyone who needs it.”

Akira couldn't possibly remain upset after Ann's reassuring comment and smile. She shoved her hands in her pockets.   
Yusuke cleared his throat and spoke up for the first time since he had arrived.

“...We may want to quiet down a little.”

The gang looked at the attendance officers that had approached them. Ryuji and Ann whispered among themselves.

The two men stepped forward, “Hello, there. May I speak with you for a moment.”

Akira straightened her posture. She reminded herself not to get caught off guard by these men's politeness. Her mouth felt dry.

Ann greeted them with a monotonous tone. Morgana shuddered and hid behind Akira’s hair. She shifted slightly, silently fretting that this wasn't going to end well.

“What does it look like?” Ryuji responded in an offstand-ish matter. The group of teens stiffened. A soft and muffled, “Ryuji, nooo,” came from the warm figure behind her that was attempting to crawl down her hoodie in either shame or to avoid getting seen. Luckily for Akira, most people always assumed that it was her phone that was going off whenever they heard Morgana. Because of that, she had forced Morgana to talk so she could record his meowing and save it as her ringtone.

“Oh dear…” Akira whispered to herself. Ann desperately tried to diffuse the situation with her bad acting. All of them held their breath as Ann did manage to get the officers to calm down and leave the group alone. They made sure that they were out of earshot before resuming their conversation.

“A pretty smile goes a long way,” Akira gave Ann a smug grin as the officers had disappeared out of sight. She did not look pleased.

“Why didn't you try to help!? And Ryuji, don't talk back to them like that! I totally panicked ‘cause of you!” She groaned and shook her head, her pigtails gently swaying back and forth.

“We have to be more careful from now on. Look at us! Right after the second incident, both prior victims are meeting up.”   
The group exchanged worried looks and murmurs. Morgana crawled back into his designated bag that rested on Akira’s shoulder.

Ann's demeanour turned solemn, “...Wait, you mean people might be listening in on us?” She spoke with uncertainty and in a hushed tone.

“Should we change our meeting spot to be somewhere more private?” Akira suggested as she took off her glasses to give them a quick wipe.

Ann shook her head. “We need to meet somewhere in public since Yusuke goes to another school… also, wouldn't it be potentially more suspicious if we went somewhere more hidden?”

“Eh, it'll be fine,” Ryuji interjected himself into the conversation. “Look around; we're the only ones worrying about it.”

The two concerned girls took a quick look around and saw no one looking in their direction. It was as if everyone was invisible in the mass of people.

“I guess you're right…” Ann said, her shoulders relaxing.

Akira’s eyes turned to Yusuke, who was leaning on the railing in front of her. His shirt had a deep enough neckline to show off his collarbones. While his exposed skin was alluring, she also thought that both his jacket and those skinny jeans looked great on him.

“By the way, Yusuke,” Ryuji’s voice invaded her thoughts, forcing her to stop staring at Yusuke’s legs, “Were you able to get anything out of Madarame?”

He shook his head. At this point, it was becoming unmistakably clear that their targets truly had no idea on the happenings in their Palace.

“It's rumoured that he might get sent to prison, in that case, gaining information will be difficult,” both his face and voice showed no signs of remorse.

“So… what are we going to do now?” Ryuji asked his team expectantly as he crossed his arms.

Akira sighed as she took off her glasses once more to clean them. That greasy smudge wasn't going away as easily as she had hoped. “There's nothing we can get out from him since he's not aware of what had happened,” faint traces of irritation laced her words.

“I'll be leaving that house. I cannot draw in such a place anymore,” Yusuke took a step forward. There was a hint of a determined smile on his face.

Akira's posture stiffened. “Do you have somewhere to go? Will you be alright?” She asked those questions in quick succession. He smiled at her.

“The school dorms,” he reassured her, “I can stay there free of charge thanks to my fine-arts scholarship.”

Ryuji’s eyes widened, “A scholarship? You're that good?” Akira, however, did not seem to be relaxed.

“Will that be enough to cover for food? I heard that some scholarships are stingy with money.”

“Although, Takamaki’s house should do as well,” Yusuke added. A sudden pang of ache in her chest forced Akira’s smile to fade. She had not seen that sentence coming, and it hurt more than what she would ever admit. Luckily, Ann's outburst drew more attention to her rather than to Akira turning away from the discussion.

She didn't want to stay here.

Everyone keeps chipping in with comments and jokes about Yusuke’s suggestion. Akira just wanted to crawl into a ball and hide.

She had barely registered that the group had decided to end their meeting and head home. With heavy steps, she followed the group but stopped to turn around as it felt like someone was drilling holes in her neck.   
Nobody in the crowd seemed to be looking in her direction.

She sighed and continued to head towards her train.

 

Akira resisted the urge to crawl underneath the blanket as Morgana would've noticed that something was wrong if she did. Instead, she lied down in bed with the cat resting on her shoulder as they together read the chat messages.

Luckily for her, the chat room died quickly, but sleep didn't come easily to lull Akira away from her heartache.

 

* * *

 

This week was crawling by at a painstakingly slow pace. Not only did Akira's heart ache whenever she saw Yusuke’s icon show up in the chat rooms, but the social studies trip was also dreadful, and Akechi was a douche. She had been around enough fake and manipulative people to know to listen to her gut whenever she saw those red flags; she knew that all of those smiles he gave were fake. He made her skin crawl, but she had decided to act docile so that she could keep an eye on him since she didn’t know what he was planning.

Niijima was hot on their tail as well. Akira felt as if she was being stretched thin, having to be decent to people who annoyed her while dealing with her irrational jealousy of not being the one who Yusuke seemingly liked.

In the midst of her period of self-wallowing, she was blindsided by Yusuke as the group was meeting up in Shinjuku. He had all of his belongings packed and asked to move in with Ann due to him not fancying his dormmates.

“Not this again…,” Akira mumbled, unable to keep everything to herself any longer. Why was her heart continuously being strung along to more heartache when she knew rationally that it wasn't going to happen. Ryuji gently nudged her. Their eyes meet, his eyes filled with obvious concerned. She broke eye contact and stared at the ground. She didn’t feel like talking.

“Well, seeing as Yusuke is an important member of the team… I’ll lend a hand!” Akira felt like dumping the Mona bag on the ground; she did not appreciate Morgana yelling right next to her ear. “Come stay at our place!” He continued, “It’s dirty, but at least you’ll have a place to sleep!”

Another sucker-punch, everyone kept catching Akira off guard today. “What!?” She exclaimed in disbelief. “Are you insane!? Sojiro doesn’t go one day without distaste in his voice that he took me in. He barely allowed you in as well, and now I’ll ask if I can bring Yusuke, a boy not to mention, and ask if he can stay!?”

Ryuji sided with her, taking a step forward in the circle of friends, “Yeah, why are you the one calling the shots?”

“Don’t you two live in a cafe? I’ve been wondering about that?” Ann adjusted her bag slightly and looked at expectantly at Akira. “Yongen’s not too far right?”

Akira covered her eyes and shook her head. “This isn’t going to work. Sojiro’s the most grumpy old man you’ve ever come across.”

“Leave that to me!” Ann smiled and clenched her fists in excitement, “I’ll try to convince him in your stead! So let’s go there now! We can have a party to celebrate Madarame’s change of heart!”

Ryuji joined in on the excitement. “Ooh, good idea! We can make it a welcome party for Yusuke too!”

“Then it’s decided!” Ann started to walk to the station and Ryuji quickly followed.

Morgana went back into the bag, and Akira shook her head again. “I can’t believe this…” She mumbled and pinched the bridge of her nose as she followed her friends into Shibuya station.   
“Sorry to cause you trouble,” Yusuke said as he walked beside her. “By the way... I prefer to sleep on a futon.”

  
The annoyance bubbled inside of her. Her knuckles turned white as she clenched her fists. “Not only are you gleefully barging into someone else’s home with all of your belongings without even asking the owner for permission, but you're also now demanding your sleeping arrangements too!?” Her voice was small, and her words came out as a hostile hiss.

Yusuke’s eyes widened in surprise, visibly taken aback by Akira’s seething voice.   
“I--”

“Akira…?” Morgana anxiously poked his head out of the bag.

She wouldn’t have any of it and continued to march behind Ryuji and Ann, who were both blissfully unaware of her sudden snapping. They chatted away during the train ride, and Akira only replied if they were directly talking to her.

The worst case scenarios were swirling in her mind. Best case would be that Sojiro said no and everything continued like normal after that. Worst case, Yusuke would end up on the street and… what if Sojiro was fed up with her?

Every morning he would make her breakfast, but it always was served with a stern lecture about getting in line and that her life is in ruins now that she had a criminal record. All her old friends had abandoned her, denying that they even were friends, to begin with, and spread rumours about her. How she was some jealous bitch who was sleeping around with an older man, and that she almost killed him when she caught him with another woman.

The look of disgust from all her classmates. Her mother's crying face and asking her why she would do such a thing and then blame herself for being an awful parent. Her father was essentially disowning her by saying that she was no longer his daughter… The horrified disbelief her best friend, Chika, had on her face the day she started to ignore her.

Akira bit her lip as she tried to concentrate on breaking out of the negative thought spiral.  
The air in the subway train felt suffocating, the noise felt like fireworks being set off right next to her ears. The swaying of the train made her feel nauseous. She covered her ears and closed her eyes. She knew that it was going to look stupid and draw attention, but everything was too loud…

Morgana had climbed out of the bag next to her and now sat in her lap. He gently pressed himself against her, and oddly, even though she knew that he had noticed her behaviour, it had a calming effect on her. She started to stroke his fur, trying not to cry and appear as if nothing was bothering her.

When the train had finally arrived at Yongen, Akira stood straight up with Morgana in her arms. She bumped into Yusuke who was standing right in front of her seat. It might’ve been the return to reality that she needed as now her fears may or may not come true. Fears and worries were still rattling around in her head, but now also accompanied by thoughts of how cold Yusuke felt, even when wearing a jacket. Perhaps it was because of all the layers he was wearing.

She tried stepping back but instead bumped her legs on the seat. “Sorry…” Yusuke didn’t respond, and Akira shuffled around him so she could walk in front to lead her friends to Le Blanc.

Once they arrived, she had stopped moving, and the group was taking in the sight of the exterior. Her chest felt tight, and it was hard to breathe.

“This is it, yeah?” Ryuji asked and walked in without a response from her. The group followed his lead and Akira quietly went in last.

“Ah, what a nice smell!” she registered Ann saying, as her train of friends stopped to take in the interior as well. The suffocating smell of cigarettes was absent, yet Akira's felt it was hard to breathe in there. Even trying to take deep breaths or air, her lungs found no purchase.

Ryuji turned around to face her; his expression showed less enthusiasm than Ann's. “This place looks so outdated... Can’t say I hate it though.”

“People refer to it as “retro”,” Yusuke spoke up, struggling with adjusting his suitcase and canvases so that they didn’t bump into the furniture.

Akira’s eyes were on Sojiro’s back, fretting what his reaction would be. He made a noise and turned around. He looked at the group and then he directed himself to Akira.

“Hm? Who are they?”

She felt like she might faint. Everything in the distance was getting blurry. Morgana placed a paw on her nose.

“Hello!” Ann’s shrill greeting rang in her ears. Her feet were beginning to feel unsteady. Morgana was… meowing? Akira then realised that she was holding her breath the entire time since she’s entered. She took a deep breath. After getting some air in her lungs, the sounds of the coffee shop didn't hurt her ears anymore, and Ann’s voice didn’t seem as shrill. “We’re friends of Akira! She’s been helping us out a lot lately!”   
  
“Heh, I bet you’re the ones doing all the helping.”

Intrusive thoughts were starting to spring up in Akira's head again, like the early flowers of spring. This wasn’t going to work.

“No, really,” Ann said with so much earnesty in her voice that it also reached Akira's ears through the fog of doubt, “She’s been great.”

“Huh.” She didn’t know what to interpret his voice as, but when he said that he’d give them all a cup of coffee she thought that they might be in the clear. For now.   
A painful lump formed in Akira’s throat. With quickened steps, she made her way behind the counter and put on the green apron.

The methodological way of making coffee calmed her down. After all, there was much focus needed to prepare the coffee in the exact way Sojiro had taught her. The sounds of the coffee dripping and Morgana purring in Ann’s lap also helped ease her mind.

“Wow… It’s delicious!” Ann complimented Akira’s efforts.

Yusuke chimed in with his compliments to the coffee,   
“Indeed, there’s great depth to its acidity.” He looked serene drinking the coffee that was served to him.

Akira threw away the used coffee grounds. Feelings of guilt tore at her heart. She needed to apologise to Yusuke. The group chatted away with Sojiro. His expression seemed pleased, to her surprise.

“Give me a taste!” Ryuji exclaimed and reached over Ann to grab her cup. Ann scoffed, and Morgana hissed, but he didn’t seem to care. One gulp, followed by lots of coughs. “Blech!!” He returned the cup and downed his glass of soda. Akira chuckled and hit him with the rag that she was using to clean the counter. “It’s so bitter!” He looked in disbelief at both Ann and Akira, “This gotta be some cruel and unusual punishment.”

Surprisingly, Sojiro did not seem to have taken any offence. “I didn’t drink coffee either when I was a kid.” Was it some jab, an indirect way of calling Ryuji childish? Akira felt herself freeze when Sojiro turned to her. “These’re your friends, yeah? Go on and take them to your room. No need to stay here.”

Her shoulders loosened, and she nodded, “Alright.” She hung the cloth back behind the desk and removed the apron. Ryuji was gleefully cheering that he was going to see Akira’s room. But as he noticed Sojiro’s death glare, he stopped and meekly placed his hands in pockets.

She laughed, for the first time that evening and it felt like the weight on her chest had turned into doves and flown away. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing like that! I’ll kick him out of the window if he tries anything funny.”

“Hey!” Ryuji bemoaned and apologised as he walked behind Akira up the stairs.

“Don’t peek up my skirt,” she teased him and covered her behind with hands.

“Dude! Stop! Did ya not see how angry he was!?”

She let out a laugh once more. It felt good to smile again. Sojiro seemed to like her friends, so she wasn’t going to be thrown out on the streets or anything like it. Maybe she could sneakingly let Yusuke sleep over without Sojiro knowing. She didn’t want to have to lie to him though.

Akira hesitantly looked at Yusuke. Would he even want to stay after she had snapped at him? She needed to apologise, soon, but preferably alone.

“Whoa!” Ryuji let out a gasp in amazement, “Ann!” he called out to the girl that was lagging behind downstairs. “You gotta get up here! This place’s freakin’ insane!”  
Some light creaking, as well as footsteps, came from the stairs, and both Ann and Morgana showed. Ryuji was walking around in the room while Yusuke seemed to be looking for somewhere to place his belongings.  
“Whaddya think of this room? I dunno where to begin…” Ryuji was unimpressed as he watched some dust particles floating around.

“It seems quite ordinary to me,” Yusuke mused and was looking at the shelf where all of Akira’s belongings were, which made her a little uncomfortable.

“For real?” He sighed in disbelief. Akira scoffed at him.

“Dude, have you not seen my sweet chocolate fountain?” She pointed to the gift Ann gave her after their first heist. “Also, Yusuke used to live in a shack, remember, this is the norm for him.”

Ryuji raised an eyebrow, “I guess…” He turned to Ann who was examining the room. “See? Ain’t this crazy?”

But he did not receive the reaffirmance he was trying to fish for.

“It’s cleaner than what I thought it would be,” her gaze stopped at the idol affiche. “Wow! You put up the poster I gave you! And the chocolate fountain!”

“Sit wherever you like!” Morgana purred to her. Ann took the sofa, and Akira plopped down on her bed. With nowhere to sit, Ryuji sat down on the floor after he found a spot which didn't creak. Yusuke remained standing up.

“We’re on the news,” Yusuke pointed out as he was looking at his phone. Akira made a mental note thinking that he maybe doesn’t hate her as he’s standing next to the bed. It felt silly, but it was a relief to her. “Even those who previously believed in us have been influenced by the comments on TV.” He looked troubled as he said that.

“This is all that effin’ Akechi’s fault!” Ryuji made no attempt to lower his voice even if Sojiro was working downstairs.

Apparently, Yusuke was thinking the same thing. “Keep it down. We don’t want anyone hearing us.” He tucked away his phone.

Ann sighed hopelessly, “At this rate we’re just going to worry everyone instead of bringing them hope.”

Morgana took a few steps forward so that he was in the middle of the group, ensuring that everyone was listening to his words. “We need to find a way to make our righteousness known to society. It’s time we think about our next move. You were planning on discussing that today, right?”

“Yes,” Yusuke brushed his bangs aside. “First, we need to search for a candidate.” He took out his phone once more.

“It’s not like we’re just gonna stumble upon some important target though,” Ryuji’s spirits seemed a bit weak as well. “Whaddya think, leader?” Ryuji asked, looking cordially at Akira.

She pondered for a bit. “We’re not going to find anyone if we keep putting up hurdles in front of ourselves. We did kind of stumble upon our previous targets…” She tucked some hair behind her ears and folded her arms. “How about we use Mishima’s website? We might be able to find something there, even if it’s just a Mementos target.”

“I’ve been lookin’,” Ryuji folded his legs. “There hasn’t been anything good out there lately though.” Akira started to feel her hope dissipate. Ryuji scratched his neck, “Dammit… We’re never going to prove Akechi wrong at this rate…!” He gritted his teeth, his impatience was infectious, but Akira had to keep her calm.

“Give it some more time, --” she began reassuring him but was interrupted by a very loud stomach growling. The group looked at Yusuke, who seemed to be the sound’s origin.

He meekly covered his stomach. “Sorry… I haven’t been eaten anything since yesterday…” Nervously, he started to pick at his nails. Akira shot up straight from the bed.

“Why didn’t you say anything!?”

Ann was in disbelief as well, though perhaps not as extremely like Akira. “And you spent all that money on that box of sweets?” She chimed in, her mind always on sweets.

Ryuji sighed and mumbled to himself. “Dude, how much did you have…?”

“Anyway,” Ann returned to the previous topic, “we’ll have to sit tight until we can find another target, so…”

“Food,” Akira interjected flatly. “Lest we wait and have Yusuke faint here.”

Yusuke looked like he was about to say something, but decided not to. If it were going to be a protest, Akira would have nothing of it.

“How about that welcoming party?” Ann cheerfully suggested. Giggling, she points towards one of the corners of the attic, “I think I found something,” she sang, “Isn’t that a portable stove?”

Akira looked in the direction that she was pointing. Why, yes, it was.

“Can’t we make a hot pot in it?” Both Ryuji and Akira wrinkled their nose after hearing Ann’s suggestion. It wasn't really the prime season for that. However, Morgana seemed excited.   
“That sounds great! I’ve heard that eating hot pot together brings people together!”

Seeing Morgana’s excitement seemed to have convinced Ryuji. “Anything with meat is fine by me!” He said and got up from the floor.

Yusuke smiled, and he looked as if he imagined the hot pot in front of him. “I only ask that we finish it off with porridge. Extra parsley, of course.”

Akira wasn’t sure she wanted to eat something hot during a warm spring day, but everyone seemed so excited, so she decided to fold. She got up from the bed and confidently stood up next to Yusuke. “We’ll finish it with udon, that’s the best way to end a hot pot,” it warmed her heart to see Yusuke return her smile.

“Okay! Hot pot it is!” Ann stretched her arms in the air and sprung up from the sofa. “Let’s go buy the ingredients!”

Both Yusuke and Ryuji started to count up all the ingredients that they wished to have in the hot pot as they headed down the stairs.

Ann slung her bag over her shoulder. “We’ll take care of the shopping. Is it okay if you start setting up here? We can split the cost later.”

“Yeah, of course,” Akira nodded and looked down at Morgana, “Morgana and I can handle everything here, right?” She wasn’t sure how a cat could help out with the tasks, but she wanted Morgana to feel included.

They watched the trio leave. Akira was a bit worried about how much food three hungry teens would bring back, but that was a worry she could deal with later.

Morgana gave Akira directions on how to arrange all the furniture so that everybody would have a place to sit. She warily headed downstairs afterwards to see if she could borrow a pot from Sojiro. The cafe was empty, but Sojiro was still attending the shop behind the counter. He turned to her as he must’ve heard her coming down the stairs.

“Hey,” she greeted him, surprised that he wasn’t smoking or reading the newspaper.

“I heard you’re all having hot pot for dinner,” How and when Sojiro was informed about all of this in no time was unexpected. Could he hear them talking in the attic? She suddenly felt uneasy about the noise level they were making.

“Do you want some of it as well?” She scratched the back of her neck, not sure what to say.

A ghost of a smile flittered on the old man’s face. “Don’t you know how busy I am? You kids go have fun. There should be a pot you can use under the stove.”

She thanked him and headed immediately to the stove to search for a pot of the right size.  
“Her name was Ann, right? She’s a nice girl.”

Akira hummed in agreement, “Yeah, she is. She sits in front of me in class; we meet on my first day.”

“She said your friend doesn’t have anywhere to go. Asked if I could take him in for a bit. I guess she thought it’d be too pitiful for you to ask since you’re already freeloading.”

Akira’s jaw dropped. How Ann manage to charm Sojiro to let Yusuke stay was a mystery. There was no way in hell that Akira’s parents would’ve allowed for a boy to sleep in the same building, yet alone the same room as her. Her heart felt as if it was beating a hundred beats per minute.

Sojiro’s gaze turned steady and his voice stern, “As long as he’s just a friend.” Akira felt like she needed to cut him off before he continues.

“He’s just a friend,” her ears were heating up at an alarming rate, she prayed to whatever God would listen that Sojiro wouldn’t doubt her intentions.

Sojiro unfolded his arms, “Good. Then I won’t keep you any longer. No more picking up homeless strays, eh?”

She journeys upstairs to a confused Morgana.

“Why is your face so red?”

“It’s heavy,” she deflected and placed the earthenware she had found on the table. Luckily, the gang returned from shopping so that Morgana couldn’t press any further.

They immediately started to prepare the food. It was chaotic, and Sojiro came up once asking them to be careful with the fire. There was so much food on the table, Akira knew that this was going to be a repeat of last time's overeating. However, once again, she rolled up her sleeves and soldiered through it. She didn’t like the thought of wasting food nor money.

In the end, it turned out to be far too much for the five of them. Everyone was groaning, and Ann decided to take a nap. When Ryuji and Morgana tried to peep up her skirt, she shooed them away. Akira was less merciful; an empty bottle bounced off Ryuji’s head as she tossed it at him.

Yusuke was quiet, and the sad expression he had worried her.   
“Are you alright? You look upset.”

“...We haven’t finished our meal,” his voice was filled with anguish. “What about the porridge, or even udon…?”

She chuckled, relieved that it wasn’t anything more serious.   
“Just leave it for next time, man…” Ryuji looked like he could use a nap as well.

The four who were awake started to talk about their pasts, how they meet each other. It was mostly Yusuke that asked the questions. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

“This is a great opportunity to get to know each other,” he reasoned. “You know every detail of my past at this point. It’s only fair you tell me every detail of yours.”

Akira shifted uncomfortably. She hadn’t told them about the details of how she had gotten her criminal record, and she could see that moment of reveal approaching at rapid speed.

She didn't like it, but they deserved to know.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a long break which lasted me almost a year, I return with a new chapter.  
> I want to thank everyone who left comments and kudos, it made me think about returning to fanfic as people seemed interested in it.

* * *

 

She had been walking home late from school. She and Chika had been studying late for a group project that they needed to turn in that Friday. They had been over ambitious with their choice of topic, and so they were forced to pay for it with their time.

She had been running, ironically, because she was afraid of potentially being jumped by a man.

Then, a desperate plea for help sent shivers done Akira’s spine. She had never heard such a raw shrill before.   
Her feet stopped moving, and she tried to register from which direction the screaming had originated. She briefly considered avoiding that road and call the police.

But instead, she went towards the screams.

She wanted to help.

A drunk man was harassing a young woman. She was visibly struggling to get away from him, but she wouldn’t let her go. Her screams silently echoed in the empty neighbourhood alleyway.

Akira’s feet moved on their own. She wasn’t going to stand by and do nothing. Her steps came to a halt as she heard the clinking sound of a glass bottle falling over on the ground. The woman was struggling to get free from the man's grip.

She could smell the reek of alcohol from this distance. Akira took a deep breath, trying to regain a shred of composure or anything that would keep her from running away.

She tried calling out the two. When there was no reaction after repeating herself, she walked towards them and gingerly poked the man's shoulder. He swung around, apparently unsteady. His hands grabbed Akira both of her arms tightly. The pain spread like fire where he was holding, as a predator strangling its prey.

His face moved closer to her, and she was struggling to become free. The smell of alcohol coming from him made her want to gag.

“Tssk,” he clicked his tongue in disapproval. “You're just an average girl, who would ever want you? Are you jealous? Do you want to take her place?” His breath on her ears sent shivers down her spine, her entire body yelling at her to run, but her legs remained frozen in horror.  
“Don't worry, lass... I can be with you both.”

Akira jerked back, and the man fell to the ground, face first.

The woman's sobbing echoed on the streets while all Akira could do in her shock was to stare at her hands. She had barely touched the man, and yet he collapsed in his drunken stupor. Rationally, she knew that the man had lost his balance, yet she feared that she had somehow hurt him. Perhaps he had a stitch in his shoulder and therefore reacted so harshly to being touched.

Why was she even trying to justify this creep acting as if he owned hers and that woman's body? Nothing came out of her as all words she thought of remained stuck in her throat. The drunk man fumbled after his glasses on the ground, spitting and cursing at her.

“Damn bitch, I'll sue!”

The woman hurriedly buttoned up her shirt before threatening to call the police. She received a cackle, and with a confident tone, he dares her to do so, as the police were in his pocket.

Akira's vision turned hazy, everything after that happened so quickly. Two policemen arrived, and the woman gave false testimony, one where Akira had viciously attacked this unknown man.

Who was this man? How could he have convinced that woman to throw a concerned passer-by under the bus?

The man's name wasn't in any of the records.

She would never know the name of the man that ruined her life.

 

* * *

  
  
The room was eerily silent as Akira had finished telling her friends her story. Even Ann had stopped snoring. Akira cleared her throat nervously as she tucked some hair behind her ears.

Ryuji slammed his fists on the table. Everyone around the table jerked back by the sudden noise.   
“Just listenin' to it pisses me off! Goddammit...” he shook his head in disbelief. “You got an assault on your record just for that?”

Yusuke leaned back in. “The woman sounds quite horrible as well. She's stayed quiet this whole time... ”

Morgana put his paws on the table. “That man is just the kind of person whose heart we should steal! Who is he, and where can we find him!?”

Akira opened her mouth to give her response but shook her head in defeat. “His name was removed from all the records...” She clasped her shaking hands underneath the table.

“Really? There was no mention of his name during your arrest?” Morgana's eyes swept across her face, trying to read her expression. “Well, it was at night, and I'm sure you were in shock after the incident,” he said with a softer voice than before. “I understand all too well the pain of not being able to remember important details of your life.”

Akira appreciated the comradeship but didn't like feeling vulnerable. So as a distraction from the feeling, she reached out to her side to scratch Morgana behind his ears. He begrudgingly groaned but didn't pull away. Instead, he tilted his head slightly so that Akira could scratch him on his neck instead, a favourite spot of his.

Yusuke continued the conversation, “The victim's personal information is always kept secret. Identifying the man will prove difficult. Besides, the court already made their ruling, didn't they?”

"Yeah," Akira shifted in her seat, "I don't think that things would change, even if we found the guy."

"Revenge won't make the past go away."

Akira nodded in agreement with Yusuke's statement. Ryuji however, didn't want to rationalise what had happened.

"I can't stand it! This world's so messed up!" He continued to shout, "The weak're left to fight for themselves, while rotten adults get away with whatever they want!"

"That's overgeneralisation, but I agree with the sentiment."   
Despite the seriousness of her tone, Akira was smiling. Not in a million years had she expected to experience such support from a group of people within such a short period, especially with them knowing of her criminal record. It felt oddly comforting to open up to people about something that Akira would instead wholly forget about and pretend that it never happened.

_True justice..._ She nodded slowly and tried to read Yusuke's face to guess what he was thinking, but couldn't come up with anything but pure conjecture. He sounded determined to right the wrongs of society, even if it meant that nobody would know that it was them that had gone out of their way to strangers that owed them nothing.

Ryuji stood up in agreement; all fired up, "You're right, Yusuke! That's gotta be what our powers're for!"

Ann groans from the sofa and sits up slowly. "What're you guys getting all excited about?" She lazily scratches her right eye, careful not to smudge any of the makeup.   
Their dialogue continued, with them talking about their past, Mementos, and what the Phantom Thieves should strive towards in the future.

"We should be alright with you as our leader, Akira," Ann says with a confident smile.

Akira didn't feel as confident as Ann did, as a small knot of nervousness formed in her stomach. She braved through it, confirming that she was up for the task. Afterall, nervousness meant that she cared about this and that she's aware of the responsibility it entails.

As Akira brought out her phone to look at the time, Ann looked at the clock mounted on the wall.   
"Whoa, it's this late?" She started to gather he things before stopping and looking at Yusuke, "That reminds me! The owner said you're free to crash here, Yusuke."

"Sojiro said that...?" Akira felt as if she was blushing all the way to her socks. The other girl motioned a discreet bow of apology.

"Hm, I won't be able to sleep unless I take a bath," Yusuke contemplated out loud. Imagining him in a hot spring did not help Akira in calming down. She gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes with Ann in her sights. Her classmate couldn't possibly figure out that she had feelings for Yusuke and this was her way to set them up? God, couldn't she at least have waited until Akira had sorted her feelings out properly!?

The two boys left for the hot spring, Ann had planned to head home straight away but stayed when she saw that Akira was cleaning up after the hot pot by herself.

"I'm really sorry, Akira..." The pig-tailed girl mumbled under her breath as she wiped the table. "I was talking with the owner of this place and mentioned that Yusuke had nowhere to go. Ryuji said that he couldn't take Yusuke in either because of his home is too small." She paused briefly, finally establishing eye-contact with Akira. "Sojiro was his name, right? He then suddenly asked if either one of us had a boyfriend!"

Akira wrinkled her nose when she heard that.

"I know, right!? I responded honestly and said that I've never had one... I don't know about you, but I said that I didn't know if you had one, but said that most likely not. You haven't been here for long, and with Kamoshida leaking the info about your record..." Her voice trailed.

"I don't have a boyfriend either," Akira said to break the awkward silence. Ann gave her a meek smile.

"You'll meet someone, I guarantee it. You'll meet someone who'll appreciate how cool and calm you are. Not boneheads like Ryuji who's only thinking about looks and perverted things."

Akira tried to return a smile, but painful memories of her childhood came to her as she tried to distract herself by cleaning. She was very young, perhaps 7-yeard-old, when during recess a group of boys asked the cutest girl in class if she would be their girlfriend. She rejected each one of them and moved on to all the other girls. Akira was picked last, by only one of the boys.   
_"Hah! Just kidding!"_ He had then immediately said before dashing off to reunite with his friends.

Morgana offered to walk Ann to the station once they finished cleaning. The attic still smelled like food, but at least Akira had digested enough food not to feel nauseous from it. She brewed herself a cup of tea to calm her nerves.

In the middle of the peace and quiet, Akira could've sworn she heard Ryuji scream from a distance.

 

* * *

  
Yusuke arrived at the café carefully peering through the glass door. Akira quickly got up from the booth she was sitting in to let him in. The café had stayed open to later than usual, but the frequent patrons had left by themselves for once. Akira timidly opened the door and looked at Yusuke. His hair was still wet from the bath, and she could feel her heartbeat quicken as she was taking in how handsome he looked.

"Does the sign say closed yet?" Akira sheepishly said as she struggled to reach the sign on the door. She refused to meet his eye as she turned the sign and quickly moved away from the door, letting Yusuke shut it as he entered.

Sojiro shot her a probing look, one of his eyebrows raised so high Akira imagined that there must be an invisible hook holding it up. Suspecting that Sojiro might think that the relationship between her and Yusuke was different than what Ann had told him, she walked briskly past him. Her gaze fixed on the stairs, her only escape from this situation. ' _Gods, please don't say that he can tell how I feel about him at least.'_

"You forgot your tea," Sojiro's voice cut through the silence. He must've figured out it all out. Akira wanted to die on the spot, at least that would be a quicker way to escape from all this. She stiffly turned around to get the cup of tea that she hadn't finished drinking while waiting in the booth. "If one of you decides to sleep on this floor, you'll have to get up as soon as I get here. I'm not going to have any snoozing teenagers in the booths when I open the shop tomorrow. Don't forget to wash the cup." 

The look he gave her before leaving told her _"I'm onto you."_

Akira was screaming internally. If shame could boost the power of her grip, the poor cup she was holding would be nothing but shards.

 

* * *

 

 

Yusuke, either oblivious to Sojiro's previous statement or willingly ignoring it, chose to follow Akira up the stairs. He had already made up his mind on where he was going to sleep for the night.

He sat quietly on the sofa, probably still lamenting about not getting to eat porridge or udon. Akira thought it was funny how much he had tried to squeeze even more food into that thin frame of his, even after Ryuji had complained for a long time that he was getting full.

“I guess it’s a bit of a shame that we didn’t get to eat any udon,” Akira broke the silence, eyeing some dust in the corner to purposefully not look at him. She felt embarrassed by the fact that she had a guy in her room and they were both in their PJs.

Yusuke gave her a soft chuckle as a response. It made her feel more at ease. She didn’t know him, so hearing him laugh made her feel as if she was an okay host, despite it coming out of the left field.   
“Well, Ryuji did mention that we could leave that to next time. I look forward to it already.”

“Yeah, udon is the best way to end a hot pot for sure.”

Silence fell between the two once more. It was the first time that they had to spend time alone together for longer than an hour. Other than that, it had only been their initial meeting and Phantom Thieves business.   
It was nice to have friends here in Tokyo. The Phantom Thieves were the best thing that had happened to her since she was forced by her parents to move here. It felt like everyone from the village that she thought cared about her was now shunning her. Her family, her friends… While here, when she told Ryuji about her criminal record, he didn’t start avoiding her or talk trash behind her back. It was nice to meet fellow outsiders who didn’t belong in society.

There was a moment of silence between them, and Akira was staring at her toes as she tried to think of the words she wanted to say ever since they left the train station. Morgana was also in the room, curled up next to her pillow. The smell of food was still hanging in the air, but at least it was weaker than before.   
She realised that she was most likely not going to have a private moment with Yusuke, so she went for it.

“Yusuke… I’m so sorry for snapping at you earlier.”

He made a small sound of surprise and stared at her, mouth hanging slightly agape.

She took a deep breath before steadying her gaze to face him. "You didn't deserve any of that. You've been through so much already, and I shouldn't have added my frustrations on you. I'm really sorry."

Yusuke's eyes widened, and he nodded slowly. "I... appreciate your apology," he paused slightly before continuing, "You seemed scared on the train ride. Is that perhaps something you feel comfortable talking about?"

Akira pursed her lips. _'Not really...'_ she thought to herself, but if she truly felt sorry for her actions, she knew that she had to explain herself. "Guess I looked like a deer in headlights, huh?" She struggled to formulate sentences in her head that would explain what she was feeling. "It's something that happens from time to time. More so after the whole incident. I feel an overwhelming sense of fear sometimes when I'm in situations that I feel I have absolutely no control over. It's like being swept along a powerful river that you're trying to swim against, but there's something in the water that's trying to stop you from moving, and that's also pulling you down so you can't breathe." She paused to gather her thoughts.   
The silence, though brief, made her worry that Yusuke thought less of her now.

Akira clears her throat, "Anyway, it's not an excuse to get all snappy, so I want you to know that I'm really sorry."

"My upbringing taught me that it's best to remain patient instead of getting angry in return." His gentle smile made her chest ache. How anyone could mistreat this person for selfish gain was beyond her reasoning. Despite her better judgement, she firmly walked over to Yusuke.

“Yusuke…” she said softly and bent down to his eye-level. “It’s okay to be angry at someone who hurt you. Being angry doesn’t make you a bad person.”  
He blinked a few times in confusion at her statement. Sensing that she might've blown things out of proportion, Akira backed off and returned to her previous spot on the bed.   
"So, uhm, do you want to do anything before going to bed?" Akira nervously fidgeted the hem of her t-shirt as she desperately tried to think of the limited things to do in the attic.

“I might do some light-reading if you wish to stay up longer. Don’t worry about me. I’ll go to sleep right after you.”

Akira could feel her shoulders drop. She wasn't sure if it was from either disappointment or relaxation. Guess having a boy over is entirely different from having a girl sleepover.

“Alright, good night,” she sheepishly said as she turned off the lights and tried to scoot Morgana to the side so that she could lie in a straight line. Though there's no chance that Yusuke would be able to see her in the dark, she turned to her side away from him. Just in case he could read her mind by the look on her face.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of small time skips ahead. Hope you can keep up!

Akira slowly sat up in bed. The window next to her was open, letting in a gentle breeze. Morgana had most likely already trailed off somewhere to explore or formulate some plan. She glances across the room to the empty couch where she had hoped to see Yusuke asleep, but alas, he was elsewhere. A sigh of disappointment escaped her lips, and she reached for her phone. Her phone had for once, was charging on the floor next to her, instead of being almost depleted on the mattress. There hadn't been any need to distract herself with the phone last night as she and Yusuke had late night chit chats despite the lights being off.

"So how's your school? I haven't been to Kosei High." Akira asked, lying on her back while twiddling her thumbs.  
She hears him make a short humming sound, thinking of where to start. The room is dark, but Akira faces his direction to see the vague outline of his body on the couch. She silently hopes that it's comfortable for him and turns to her side so she could look at him. _'It's so incredibly cliche, admiring his moonlit silhouette'_ , she chastises herself, yet a small smile crept onto her face as she listened intensively to Yusuke describing his school to her. Akira closed her eyes and tried to envision the school based on Yusuke's vivid description. 

"What about yourself? Your circumstances for coming to Tokyo must've made it hard to adapt to school life." Yusuke's question snapped her out of her thoughts, and she slowly opened her eyes. 

Akira purses her lips in the dark. One of the benefits of the absence of light means she doesn't have to fight against letting her emotions show on her face. In a sense, it's a comfortable mask to hide behind.

"Yeah, it hasn't been particularly easy coming here. Especially not since Kamoshida leaked my criminal record to all of the students." She tries to push down the memories that are breaching the surface of her mind. The panic and shock of arriving at school and hearing whispers about her. How warped they had become as it continuously spread throughout the school. How she had tried to study in the library, but everyone's whispers caused her to lose all concentration.   
"I'm very thankful for Ann and Ryuji. Oh, and Morgana too, of course," She turns to Morgana to scratch the black cat who has kept her company every day since he decided to stick around. There's no response from the cat, implying that he's fast asleep. Akira smiled to herself. "While the circumstances could have been better, I don't think I could ask for any better companions to form the Phantom Thieves with. I was very lonely before we had a common cause to rally behind." Before Akira could decide if it was wise to tell Yusuke her thoughts, the words spilt out of her mouth. Opening up ever so slightly had made her feel sentimental, perhaps even vulnerable. She let out a small chuckle.  
"...That will include you as well if you decide to continue changing the hearts of people as a fellow Phantom Thief. Regardless of what you choose to do, I'm glad that we met and that we could help you out. Nobody deserves treatment like that, and I hope things will start to change for you from now on."  
The lack of response made Akira continue to babble on, despite her voice cracking out of nervousness or perhaps exhaustion. She hoped that Yusuke would take it as the former. Small butterflies were flying freely in her stomach, and she had to concentrate on her voice to ensure it wouldn't get reduced to a mere murmur.  
"Change can be quite scary, especially when it's one that you didn't ask for, but sometimes that's the change that we most need. When I first came here, I had hoped to pretend that nothing had happened. No criminal record and none of the ostracisation that had happened back in my hometown. Instead, I was forced to face the truth head-on. Despite all the hardships, I think it might be for the best."

Yusuke then finally broke the silence. "I admire your courage, Akira," he said, and Akira could feel her heart skip a beat. "It's no wonder why they chose you as our leader."

Akira buried her face in the blanket as she hears her heartbeat go faster. Her pulse was hammering in her ears, and warmth was spreading both across her chest and face. At this point, she had to accept that the strangled sound that came out of her mouth would have to do as 'Thanks'. This time the quiet between them didn't make her feel awkward, but the intense pounding of her heart did.  
"I... uh, let's- We should go to bed. I don't want to- I mean, I shouldn't keep you up any longer," Akira stammered as she quickly tossed to the other side, seemingly waking a grumpy Morgana. "Night, Yusuke!"

Thinking back on their conversation last night filled her with shame. She buried her face in her hands and let out a defeated sigh. Hopefully, he didn't think less of her after gushing her thoughts and feelings. It had felt like Igor was making fun of her as well when she had awoken in the Velvet Room - commenting on the bonds of she had created between the other Phantom Thieves.

_"Your heart inspires others." his booming voice reached her inside the cell._

She quietly placed her hands on her chest and took a deep breath. If she's to continue to inspire courage in others, she has to strengthen herself and focus on finding a new target. Fretting that Yusuke or Morgana might return upstairs at any moment, Akira changed her clothes underneath the blanket. Once she had walked down in her pyjamas, and that had earned her an earful from Sojiro since the Le Blanc had already opened and was serving their first customer.

  
It turns out that her intuition was correct as well. "You're finally awake," Morgana entered from the opened window and jumped down on the floor in front of her.

  
"Where's Yusuke?"  
The cat stretched and yawned. Luckily for her, Morgana didn't comment on her immediate question rather than greeting the cat 'good morning'. "He wasn't around when I woke up. He must be downstairs."  
Akira thanked him and headed downstairs. Nervousness kicked in, and she tried brushing her hair using her hands. Her heart sped up as the aroma of coffee grew stronger. When she saw that the café was empty, her heart sank. Sojiro was standing behind the counter, preparing something.  
"You're finally up. You know it's past noon." His words sounded more like a statement than a question. Akira pursed her lips as a response. She decided to not reply with the snarky comments that were forming in her head.  
"That kid ended up going back to his dorms," Sojiro continued and pointed his chin to the new painting that Akira recognised immediately, "He left this painting before he took off, though. Supposedly to thank us for taking care of him."  
Akira let out a sigh as she once again took in the masterpiece that Yusuke's mother had painted. "The "Sayuri"..."  
Sojiro turned his head to look at the painting. "It's rare to see a kid acting so grateful these days."  
Feeling that it was a snide towards her, if not her entire generation, Akira shifted her focus to Sojiro. "Uhm... Thanks for letting him stay here. Yusuke - that is." She cleared her throat as she continued to brush her hair with her hands.   
Sojiro continued to look at the painting, though Akira could see that the smile on his face widened. They continued to talk about the gifted artwork while Akira quickly threw together an impromptu breakfast that earned a chide from Sojiro on how she needs to learn how to cook. One lecture followed another, and Akira received a scolding for her contraption that would let Morgana climb out of the window from the attic. Sojiro didn't want to risk more cats or other animals getting into the café, and if customers saw it, Sojiro risked his business.   
"You can't have things attached to the building. Just take the cat with you when you're heading out for the day."  
She apologised as she finished up her breakfast. Perhaps her inventions should be limited to Phantom Thieves activities only.

How should she spend her day today? Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her phone upstairs.  
"Would it be alright if I had a cup of coffee?"  
"Only if you prepare it yourself," Sojiro responded without looking up.  
_'Drat.'_ Suppose she had already asked too much of him lately. "Worth a shot," she mumbled to herself as she walked upstairs.  
"You're never going to get better if you don't practise making it yourself."  
She sighed when she was out of Sojiro's earshot and picked up her phone. Her heart jumped as she saw who had left her messages in the chat app.

_Thank you again for letting me stay the night._   
_Apologies for leaving so quietly, but your rest seemed so peaceful._

The three dots forming at the bottom of the received messages made her heart race. Her breath hitched, had he been watching her sleep? Her hand immediately brushed against the side of her mouth to check if she had been drooling. The way he formulated himself in text made it easy for her to imagine his voice as she read the following messages as she received more.

_After a great deal of inner struggle, I have decided to return to the dormitories._  
_Furthermore, I've entrusted the "Sayuri" to your protector, Sojiro._  
_That painting should no longer exist in reality... but it is_ truly _what my mother painted._  
_I am simply satisfied that we were able to obtain it._  
_And it was all because of you guys. I cannot thank you enough._  
_PS, I still believe porridge is the best way to end a hot pot._

She hadn't realised that she had held her breath for the entirety of the time she was reading his messages. After some time of hesitation, her shaky fingers formed a reply.

_No way, udon is still the best._

The butterflies in her stomach threatened to overtake her, yet she pushed through to write one more message.

_I hope you slept okay at least._

She hadn't noticed Morgana in the room until he headbutted her left leg for attention. For all his protests, Morgana sure acted like a cat at times.   
"Yusuke decided to go back to the dorms," Akira informed him, calming her nerves. It didn't take long for her phone to suddenly go off again. Her eyes skimmed through the dialogue that the Phantoms were having. The prospect of bringing down some violent burglars piqued her interest. She decided to voice her opinion on the matter.

_Let's look into it._

"Were you going to have a cup of coffee, or not?" Sojiro called on her from downstairs. Akira continued to read the messages as Morgana jumped into her schoolbag and the two of them headed downstairs. Targeting Le Blanc wouldn't be the best idea. It wasn't exactly a famous café, and she couldn't risk getting kicked out either. She quickly typed out her answer.

_Nah. Don't want to risk getting kicked out._

Yusuke responded first to her comment.

_Oh, I suppose I left the "Sayuri" there as well, I had forgotten._

"Whaat!?" Akira let out in disbelief.

Sojiro frowned at her. "Are you going to get off your phone and learn how to make proper coffee?" He grumbled. "Kids these days with their phones."

She set her phone on silent and started to make coffee. If the following comments from her friends were important, she would be able to see them call at least.

 

* * *

  
Ack, how school sometimes feel like a chore. Akira is fighting against the urge to sleep as her focus on the board lets up. Her run-in with Akechi at the train station had made her feel slightly agitated. _'Why does he want to talk with me? Is he suspecting me?'_  
Her inner demons wouldn't leave her alone, making snide comments on how he must be after something else than her since she's so plain. It didn't matter regardless, she had no interest in the boy, and she has to keep her guard up around the famed detective.

Mr Ushimaru's rant about today's generation and the economy was all background noise until Akira heard her name called out. She gave her answer with a steady voice, maintaining eye-contact with her teacher, and then turned back to her empty textbook as he continued his lecture.  _'Today was going to be a normal day'_ , she thought though unease filled her stomach.

It only got worse when she heard that Niijima was looking for her. Another person who had been on her trail for some time.

 

* * *

 

The Phantoms were waiting in the discussed place as Akira, and the student council president walked next to her. The journey had been quiet from her side though Niijima had attempted to hold a conversation. Akira quietly smiled or cleared her throat, not wanting to be too rude toward her senior. However, she didn't want to give away more information about the Phantoms. If anything, it portrayed the image of Niijima as slightly sadistic as she must've been fully aware of the situation.   
Yusuke was the first one to notice her arrival. His eyes were wide, and Akira felt drawn to them. As their eyes meet, she felt like she needed to look away. Riddled with guilt that she had brought Niijima to them, she spent most of the confrontation staring at her feet. So much for being the leader of the Phantoms. The situation could perhaps still be salvageable, but Akira needed to keep her cool to find any solutions that could arise.   
As Niijima continued to talk about the pattern she had witnessed in the previous heist, worry set in among the rest of the Phantoms.

"What do you intend to do?" Yusuke's voice made her look up from the ground. He was standing with his arms folded, clearly in a defensive position. "Have you come just to say you're going to report us?"

Further dread set in Akira's stomach. Of course, it didn't matter to miss goody-two-shoes what their intentions had been, to people like her, crime is black and white. Disdain clouded her mind, making it difficult for her to think objectively.

"I bet someone told you to find us. The school can't have ties to criminals, after all!" Ann's words dripped with venom, and her eyes were set aflame with hatred. "And yet they turn a blind eye when it comes to suicide and sexual harassment," the blonde girl turned away from the girl who had confronted them, "Those adults are just using you. I feel sorry for you."

Now it was Niijima's turn to look at the floor. For a brief moment, Akira felt guilty, but she decided to push those feelings down. She believed in the Phantoms, and Niijima had decided to pursue and confront them. If anything. She had this treatment coming to her. Taking a deep breath, attempting to remain to be the calm leader that her comrades had relied on, Akira said her piece.

"We couldn't just avert our eyes from how they were abusing their powers. If we hadn't done anything, it would've simply continued. Surely, that is a crime of its own."

To their surprise, Niijima acknowledged this.

"That's why I would like to verify the justice you speak of."

Though Akira didn't like the prospect of having to prove themselves to the student council president, she didn't see things going any other way. She had the recording, and Akira's criminal record was already hanging over her, threatening to crush her hopes for a future.

 

* * *

 

The group had relocated to a restaurant close to the train station after their confrontation with Niijima.   
"If this get's out, I'm going to get expelled for sure..." Akira stared at the glass of water in front of her, gently tipping it to move the ice around in the container.

Though the situation was tense between the Phantoms, the butterflies in Akira's stomach took flight as Yusuke sat down next to her. It didn't help that her crush seemed to go on the offensive for her sake as well.   
"You were careless," The newest member of the Phantom Thieves shot an icy glare at Ryuji. "I don't think you truly understood how high the stakes were. Anything to say, Ryuji?"

Ryuji immediately went on the offensive right back. "Why're you singlin' me out? Ann got recorded too, y'know."

Though Akira appreciated Yusuke speaking for her and realising the severity of the situation, she knew she had to step in and act as their leader. "Stop pointing fingers at each other. It's not going to improve our situation."

"I'm so sorry..." Ann apologised, looking mournfully at the glass of water in front of her.

Ryuji seemed to have relaxed by Akira's words and turned to her. "Hey, what should we do?"  
  
Akira leaned back from the table, "Let's take another look at our situation... Thoughts?"  
Yusuke nodded. "A recording seems to be insufficient evidence though. And even with that, there's no way they could prove our methods. "

"Considering who we're dealing with," Ann leaned into the table, "I think it might be a trap."

"Do you think she might want to see exactly how we do it and this is her way of obtaining that last piece of proof?" Akira felt a nudge on her elbow, and Morgana piqued out of the bag to speak.

"Regardless, Akira would be in real trouble. She's on probation, after all."

Akira nodded. Though the evidence might not be enough to prosecute the rest of the Phantoms, Akira could get into trouble for pulling a prank like this.  
The team agreed on meeting Niijima on the school rooftop the following day, with Yusuke waiting outside not to attract too much attention.  
How fitting to Akira's mood that it would begin to drizzle that evening.

 

* * *

 

The day next school day was so slow that Akira wanted to claw at her desk in hopes that it would speed up time. She had warned Ryuji and Ann to not talk about any Phantom Thieves business in school that day to prevent further recordings. Niijima didn't need any new ammunition against them. She messaged Yusuke to wait at the regular hideout spot while the rest of the group went to see Niijima.

The three met up outside the classrooms before heading to the rooftop.

Niijima was already there, leaning onto one of the tables. "I thought you might not show."

Ann went straight to the point. "So, whose heart do you want us to change?" Her eyes looked like they would bore holes into those lesser assured than the president of the student council.

Her eyes meet Akira's, "A mafia boss." Akira let out a sound of disbelief, while her companions were more vocal with their shock.  
"That's what they call themselves," Niijima continued with a smile on her lips. "This group seems to be the cause of the rise in phishing scams. What's worse, once you're in their sights, they won't stop threatening you until they get what they want. The criminal group primary target juveniles, including a few students from our school."

"Okay, wait just a minute," Akira interrupted Niijima, "Isn't this a matter for the police? You want to send in a group of students after a crime ring based on a sound recording that could be waved off as a prank?"

"The victims are being threatened not to testify, so even the police can't get a grasp of the situation," Niijima's expression turned dark. "I thought you would be willing to prove yourselves since you came here, but I guess your righteousness was nothing but empty words." She began to head towards the door.

"We're going to need more information than just vague rumours," Akira said, without turning to face the girl who was pressing most of her buttons already. She knew very well of the situation they were in and didn't like it one bit.

"Their main hub of activity is in Shibuya. That's all the information I have." Akira heard the door open behind her. "You have two weeks. I hope you don't let me down."

When the door to the rooftop closed, the group waited a few seconds to air their thoughts and disbelief. Akira brought out her phone to message Yusuke that they had met with Niijima and that they were now heading to the meeting spot to meet up with him. She couldn't let her anger show, not in front of the others. Perhaps she could go to and do some batting practice tonight after they've synced up with Yusuke. 

 

* * *

 

"Isn't this a prime opportunity for us though?"  
Yusuke took the news surprisingly well, agreeing to the unknown target that been forced upon them. Probably due to their retelling of the circumstances amitting the details of how they were under the heel of the president of the student council.

"How!? We're in huge trouble!" Ann yelled at him. Akira quickly scouted the area for any patrol officers whose attention her screaming might've caught.

The calm on Yusuke's face hadn't faltered. "Even after we punished an evil man who seemed to be good, the public did not acknowledge us. However, if we take down an actual criminal, let alone a target the police don't have answers for..." Ann's eyes went wide with realisation, and Ryuji chimed in with his approval of the idea as well. The puzzle pieces all fell into place for the Phantoms. Akira silently thanked herself for not losing herself to anger in front of the team. If she had, the team might've not been susceptible to any other viewpoints. She admired Yusuke's sense of pragmatism, especially in comparison to Ann and Ryuji who were far more driven by emotions only. 

Akira saw that the group all looked at her for confirmation. "Let's prove our justice. We can't afford to waste any time with the deadline hanging over us, so let's get started with our own investigation as soon as possible."

Yusuke nodded. "I'll ask around Kosei and see if there are any victims."

Ann followed up as if on cue, "I know some girls who go to Shibuya pretty often. I'll check with them about it."

"Let's all keep our ears open and meet up in a few days with what we've found."

As the group all agreed on a date to reconverge, they split up and began heading home. Yusuke followed in the same direction, so Akira spun around to meet his eyes. The quizzical look he gave her made her cheeks heat up. It was similar to the one he had given her when they had first met. There were a few stray hairs that had fallen out of place that Akira wished she could tuck back into place. Maybe then she could also caress his check. Words bubbled in her throat.

"You know, you can just walk beside me. You don't have to follow me." She internally cursed herself for letting her wit get the better of herself. To her relief, her comment earned a chuckle from him.

"Actually, could I have a moment with you?"

She felt her blush spreading and stared down at her shoe, gently kicking the ground. "Uhm, sure! What's up?"

"Well, it's.."  
The uncertainty in Yusuke's voice made her turn back to him. He was fidgeting with his school bag while his eyes were glued to the floor. She wanted to look away to hide her affections for her teammate, but at the same time, the vulnerability that he was showing at this instance was something that Akira wanted to immortalise in her memory. When he felt more confident in what he was going with next, he locked eyes with her once more. "I had a yearning to see the "Sayuri". So, if you're heading homeward, I'll accompany you."  
Akira swallowed hard and nodded, "Sure." In an attempt to make the situation less awkward for her, she attempted to fall back on her wittiness. "I'm serious though, walk beside me instead of behind."

Yusuke chuckled as he walked beside her. The way he laughed never failed to make her melt. She realised that she must look like a complete dork wearing her heart on her sleeve - so obviously in love with the person next to her.  
_'In love'_ , she repeated to herself in her mind, and she could hear her heart pick up in speed.  
"Will you be alright?" Yusuke asked her, bringing her train of thoughts to a halt. The word love had occupied her mind so much that she hadn't realised that the train had arrived at the station.

"Eh? Oh, yeah, no worries," She attempted a smile and wrapped a loose lock of hair around her finger before tucking it behind her ear. _'Keep it cool, Akira! You're showing t_ _oo much of your feelings!'_ She chastised herself as they got on the final ride home. Luckily, Morgana had to stay in her bag so he could neither comment or see the pink shade on her cheeks. Since Yusuke didn't comment on it, Akira decided to take it as he didn't it notice it. If he didn't see her blush, then he most likely didn't hear the beating of her heart as well.   
"Hopefully, if the café is empty, I can prepare you something," Her mind started to wander off to what could be in the fridge at the cafe, "Apparently, Le Blanc is quite famous for its curry, though I don't know how to prepare it the way Sojiro does." The doors to the train shut and began to move homeward-bound. There weren't any empty seats available on the ride home, so the two stood up facing each other. The train wasn't too crowded, so they could afford some space between them - something that Akira couldn't decide if it made her feel happy or disappointed with at this moment. She never liked crowded trains, though she wouldn't say no to an opportunity to be close to Yusuke. Especially if she was coherent enough to appreciate his warmth, instead of being in the middle of a panic attack.  
"I would greatly appreciate anything that you would have to offer. Thank you."  
In moments like these, Akira found it hard not to enjoy the happiness of having a crush on someone. Even with the butterflies and the occasional bout of jealousy. She silently thanked the gods for not piling on moments of envy during her current trial of not being turned to the police by Niijima.

They arrived at Le Blanc without having been soaked in the rain. No one was at the cafe, and the sign at the door had was saying closed. They had been out quite late it seemed, and Morgana headed straight to bed which caused more giddiness in Akira as she now had an opportunity to spend some time alone with her crush. Upon entering Yusuke immediately took a seat at the booth closest to the painting.  
"Ah, the "Sayuri"..." Akira heard his pleased voice as she went to look at what they had in the fridge. She had made a mental note at the restaurant that Yusuke hadn't ordered any food, and so she was pleased that he agreed to eat at the cafe. He stared unblinkingly at his mother's painting. "It seems to suit this cafe quite well. I'm glad I chose to leave it here."

Akira nodded. She agreed with the sentiment, but also due to the selfish reason that it brought Yusuke back to the cafe.  
She peered into the fridge and saw a container with a note written on it.

Dinner for tonight, since you told me that you would be home late.  
Pick up replacement groceries on your way home tomorrow.

"We're lucky. There are some leftovers by Sojiro in the fridge." She took out the sealed box and put it in the microwave. She plated the hot food on two plates and placed them on the table before joining Yusuke in the booth.  
"So what made you want to see the "Sayuri" again?"

Yusuke stared intently at the food. Before she had the chance to ask him if something was wrong with it, he buried his face in his hands.  
"Akira... I fear I have found myself in quite a horrible mess...!"

Surprised at his sudden exclamation, Akira blinked at him as she tried to recount the steps to this moment. "What's wrong?"

He sighed as his arms fell onto the table. "To put it bluntly, I am in need of your assistance... Please, listen to what I must say."

She nodded silently as a response.

"Throughout my artistic career, there have been moments I've struggled with particular motifs or techniques. However, those struggles came to pass on each occasion. Yet now I find myself in a similar solution... but the more I try to escape it, the worse it becomes. It seems I am trapped in what we n the art would call a "slump"..."

"So... an art block of some sort?" Akira recalled the phrase her friend Chika used to say whenever she couldn't think of something to draw.

"Yes, I suppose." He looked up from his hands, face a little more relaxed. "Are you aware that I am attending Kosei on an art scholarship?"

"No, but it doesn't surprise me," Akira lifted the spoon that she had brought with her to eat curry. She didn't want the food to get cold. "Afterall, you have to be quite talented for Madarame to have taken you in as a pupil. Though, uhm... I must confess, I haven't seen your art. Any work I might've seen was under Madarame's name."

His face dropped slightly, and Akira regretted her words. "Such coveted grants are not given as charity. I must continually achieve within my field to remain eligible. Were I to lose my scholarship... I would likely have no choice but to leave the school as well." He shook his head. Akira wanted to comfort him, but couldn't find the words to ease his worry. The best thing she could do right now was to listen to him.

"In the earlier days of my career, I would exclusively paint what I desired, when I desired it. The only goal I had in mind was the pursuit of pure beauty. That goal is what drove me onward," Yusuke got up from the booth, curry untouched, to get a closer look at the painting. "I wanted nothing more than to attain the lustrous allure of the "Sayuri" in my own work."

The clock peacefully ticked in the background of the cafe. Even if they hadn't brewed any coffee, its strong aroma lingered in the air together with the microwaved curry. She put down the utensils once more.

"What changed?" Akira gently prodded him to continue his explanation.

"My reason to paint," Yusuke answered. He turned around with a pained look on his face. "What reason do I have now? Holding on to my scholarship? Keeping a roof over my head? Worldly desires are all that spur my brush to move... and the resulting work reflects such impurity of mind. To be honest, I am unsure as to whether I can even call myself an artist anymore..."

She struggled to understand him, even when he was visibly in such anguish his words were much flowery than what Akira felt that she could ever manage. She wouldn't be able to hold a candle to Yusuke's way with words, not even if she had been given all the time and resources in the world to try and sound poetic. "Yusuke..." She gestured to him to please sit down again. "You're so hard on yourself. What makes you an artist is the fact that you express your emotions in your creations, no?"

He gave her a resigned sigh. "My apologies. It seems I got somewhat carried away there." Yusuke sat down again in the seat opposite to Akira. The intact curry was still giving off a small trail of steam. "But... I simply cannot accept this lack of purpose in my work. That is why I am so upset with my own indecision. Such vague ambition is, in essence, a sin of sorts..." He finally took a bite of the food, though he didn't look like it alleviated his troubles, Akira was happy that he was eating.

"You'll find something, I'm sure of it."

"I suppose allowing my young career to come to an end here would be even more sinful."

Akira chuckled as a response. Yusuke had a flair for the dramatic, talking about sins and career, while Akira felt like a regular nobody student. Outside, She could hear the rain pick up. She liked the gentle sound and atmosphere that came with it, suppose it did remind her of a certain someone. They ate the remainder of their food in peace.

"I only wish to create a work I can be genuinely proud of..."He said in a small voice as he finished his curry. His expression looked less pained as he gazed over at his mother's painting. "Please look over there at the "Sayuri." Do you know what I see?"

She did as he asked and looked at the painting, in particular, the woman's expression and the baby cradled in her arms.

"Her incandescent figure, alluring gaze... That is the meaning of pure beauty!"

"While those are not the words I would use to describe the painting..." Akira nervously began. _'As it is of your mother...'_  
"I understand what you mean. It radiances warmth, and I can tell that the mother in the picture loves the baby in her arms."

"I have tried many times to replicate it myself, but... an elegance so sweet remains elusive to me." Once again, he shakes his head in disbelief.

Akira doesn't understand the self-flagellating souls of artists, so she decides that she has to prod him further with questions. Her friend Chika used to get annoyed by all the questions, but as she isn't a fellow artist, she can't think of any other way to try and understand by asking him. "How so?"

Yusuke's face scrounges up. "It is surely because the painter behind the work differs. Because the soul differs...!"

Akira tilts her head to the side. While she's glad that Yusuke didn't outright dismiss her, she's nowhere close to understanding his plight. What she did know is how beautiful he looked when he was passionate about something, even when it made him upset. 

He seems to have understood her confused expression. "If my estimations are correct, the "soul" is nothing but another way to speak of the human heart. What then is the heart? How does it bring forth such beauty? I must understand?" He folds his arms onto the table and looks down.

_'Wait, estimations? That sounds... pretty calculating. Isn't art supposed to be about emotions?'_ Akira could feel herself giving up on trying to understand. She decided to keep her current thoughts to herself, as it could be construed as her criticising Yusuke for how he expresses himself.

"To be perfectly frank though, I am unsure of how to do so," he continues. Akira tries giving him a small smile.

"Don't give up hope, Yusuke. Though I'm struggling to understand much of your plight as I'm no artist, I believe that you'll find a way to make it through this slump."

"Akira..." He looks up as if her support had slightly elevated his hope. She turns away to not stare into those lovely grey eyes of his. "Would you be able to provide me assistance? You have already brought profound change to my world."

She let out a strained laugh as her heart jumped up and lodged a nervous lump in her throat. "Hah... ah, you flatterer..." she mumbled under her breath. Had she not already settled on giving up on pursuing her feelings for Yusuke due to her responsibility as leader of the Phantoms, she would have decided that her abilities to court someone as clueless as Yusuke. It would end up in heartache, no matter his feelings on the subject.  
_'And here I thought I had done such a great job keeping my nerves in check since we arrived.'_

Yusuke continued as if he hadn't heard Akira's pitiful mumbles. "I believe you of all people may be able to bring me closer to the truth."

_'Oh, gods, these feelings are going to be the end of me! This innocent, pretty boy has no clue what he's doing to me!'_  
She clears her throat as she tries to silence her loud and intrusive thoughts as far back as she could manage. She takes a deep breath and tucks some lose locks behind her ear to channel her cool outer persona that most people know her by, the calm and collected show-off.  
"Of course! I'd be glad to help you out in any way I can."  
_'Sterile, distant, lame,'_ her thoughts immediately resurface to chew her out.

Yusuke breathes a sigh of relief, "You would!? Wonderful."

She smiles at as his reaction, though her inner turmoil is doing its best to take any remaining joy she has away from her.  
_'You're such a fake.'_

"At the moment, my art teacher has yet to notice any drastic changes in my work. But I cannot hide forever. Impurity of the heart will undoubtedly seep into an artist's canvas eventually."

Her eyes lingered on Yusuke's hands. If she had been braver, she would've reached out across the table and held his hand. However, she was not courageous, nor would the table's width allow her to reach him unless she was willing to get up on the table. Laying on the table was sure to arise suspicion, even from an innocent person like Yusuke. Besides, she had an image and reputation to uphold. Raising her voice to get him out of another bout of self-pity would have to do. "Don't worry! We'll figure something out."

Yusuke looked as if deep thought, before glancing at the clock next to the "Sayuri".

"I must go now. My curfew approaches."

"Oh." Akira couldn't help but express her disappointment as she also looked at the clock. "Time sure passes fast when you're enjoying yourself."

He nodded in agreement and got up from the booth. "I look forward to speaking about this matter again."

"Yeah, we'll figure something out." As Akira walked to the door to let him out, she realised that the rain was still pouring down. "Hm. The rain has picked up since we arrived."

Yusuke peered through the glass on the door. "I should be able to make it to the station in haste before getting too wet."

"Nonsense, I'll walk with you to the station at least," She grabbed the umbrella that was resting next to the door before heading out together with Yusuke.

She may not have gotten to be close to him on the train ride, but at least now they were sharing an umbrella. Her shoulder occasionally brushed against his arm as they continued their walk. Akira's arm was aching from having to hold the umbrella higher up than what's comfortable for her to fit Yusuke underneath it, but she felt it was worth it.

He was worth the mild ache if it meant spending just a little more time with him.

Tomorrow she had to go back to school as a student of Shujin and as the leader of the Phantom Thieves, but at least for the remainder of tonight, she could be a girl in love.


	8. Losing my cool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, we'll explore Akira's insecurities and past a little more. Contains spoilers for Yusuke's social link 1 & 2 + the third target for the Phantoms.

And now they were one more member in the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. Despite the rocky start, Akira was glad that Niijima — Makoto — joined with the investigation and in taking down Kaneshiro. If anything, that showed some willingness to understand the Phantom's motives. While others had concerns that she would turn them in as soon as they had caught the mafia boss, Akira refused to believe that anyone would back down from joining the thieves, especially since Makoto shared the same passion for making these rotten adults pay. 

June is the rainy season, and Akira can't help but associate the melancholic weather with a certain blue-haired boy. Ann had mentioned that the weather always seemed to be cloudy or rainy whenever Yusuke had been the one to ask the group to meet.

Today, he had contacted her on a sunny day, however, as soon as school had ended. As if on cue, her phone lit up as her final class had come to an end. Akira waved good-bye to Ann who immediately headed out. She took her phone out and saw the name of the sender. Her heart filled with excitement as she read his messages.

 _What are your plans for today?_  
_I'm in Shibuya watching people._

Holding her breath, she eagerly awaited what message those three dots would reveal.

 _I'll be_ in _the station for a while, so let me know if something comes up._

Normally, Akira would've shown up at the location without replying, much to her fellow Phantoms dismay, but for clarity to Yusuke, she typed out a reply.

_I'm heading over._

An immediate response.

_I see._

_I'll be in the underground passage. Don't miss me._

_'As if I could'_ , she thought to herself, her answer would never be conveyed to him.  
"Hey, Morgana," Akira began as she tucked her phone away in her pocket. She sensed movement in her bag. "I'm going to hang out with Yusuke, so feel free to let me know where you want to be dropped off for exploration."  
  
She was right about Yusuke being unmissable, even among the crowd of commuters passing by, she spotted a tall figure leaning towards some advertisement signs in a calm corner.

He seemed to have missed her right until she stood in front of him. The hustle and bustle of the station must've made her melt in with the commuters.  
"Ah, Akira." His posture relaxed slightly. "This station is always full of people. It serves as the perfect spot for people watching."

Akira shot him a quizzical look, "People watching?" she asked, and took the spot next to him so she could avoid the people walking through the underground path.

"Yes. I came to the realisation that if I am to depict people in my art, I must observe them," Yusuke explained while looking at the myriad of people walking by, living their own lives. She decided to try and give it a try as well next to him, but after a few minutes, she grew bored.

"I would like to speak with you," the boy spoke up, his gaze still transfixed on the people around them. "Do you remember how I mentioned my need to understand the heart?"

She nodded in response to his question, trying to see what it was that he was currently looking. Her odd leaning and glances must have caught his attention, for he was now looking at her.

"Well, I am having a hard time grasping it. How will I be able to reach the truth of pure beauty?"

 _'How about taking a look in the mirror to see some pure beauty?'_ Akira gave Yusuke a weak smile, as she shoved that thought deep into the abyss. If shame could set her body on fire right now, she'd welcome it. Poor Yusuke would be left there traumatised and confused. No, what she should do is to try and show support. Smiling was the only thing she felt like that she could give him at this moment. Never the one to ask simple questions was he. To her luck, it seemed to have been a rhetorical question.

"What should I paint to capture the contents of the heart?"

Akira folded her arms as she gave his question some thought. Then the red and black landscape of Mementos entered her mind. "How about Mementos? It's the Palace for everyone's heart here in Tokyo."

Yusuke's eyes went wide as he repeated the response he had gotten from Akira. "The desire that emanates from that place is the root of humanity!" The excitement in his voice made her happy. Surely that had to mean that he had gotten a creative spark that could help him out of his rut.  
"You honestly have a unique perspective on things. With that destination in mind, let us make haste!" Before Akira could protest, Yusuke had brought out his phone so that they could enter Mementos. Black and red swirls blocked Akira's line of sight as familiar blue flames enveloped them both. They came out of the fire dressed in their thieves clothes — like phoenixes being reborn from the ashes.

"The distorted realm, teeming with Shadows," Yusuke spoke to himself as he had somehow either procured a sketch-book or brought it with him through some fashion. He had moved his mask to the top of his head so that he could see properly. "The physical embodiment of the desires of the human heart..."  
Akira gave the area a quick once over to ensure that they were safe.  
"The same thing which brought forth the beauty of the "Sayuri" can also create such morbid fabrications... But I actually find that aspect to be quite fascinating... The heart is akin to an abyss."  
With pencil in hand, he moved in a flurry. Akira was curious about what he was sketching but decided against having a peek so she wouldn't disturb his creative process.  
"Regarding the source of my slump, I actually have an idea. In that other dimension, I saw the perversion of Madarame's heart, and at that moment, the art realm I had so much faith in was distorted by greed and unchecked desires. That is when the true ugliness of the world became clear to me..."  
"Yusuke..."  
"From that point forward, my brush has been stayed by crippling hesitation. Does pure beauty truly exist? And if so, can hands tainted by Madarame's depravity capture it?  
She closed the distance between them.  
"You are not tainted, nor are you some kind of broken if that's what you're thinking," Akira could see his eyes widened. The ambient humming of Mementos was deafening. She cleared her throat, nervous that perhaps she had said that too forcefully. Suddenly feeling shy, Akira's gaze fell to the floor.  
Yusuke's shoulders relaxed. "Considering such intense questions only served to distance me from reality. Doubt filled my mind. I struggled to find a reason to lift my brush again..." He brushed his bangs aside and adjusted his fox mask. "Honestly, I still have yet to discover a suitable answer."

There's a long time of silence where Yusuke continues to sketch. Akira was mesmerised over the fluid motions of the artist's arm as the canvas he painted on seemed to come alive. As much as she enjoyed watching him paint, her neck was beginning to strain, so she started to stretch while pacing nearby. The black and red distortions of Mementos in her vision kept her on guard. In case any Shadows were to appear on the horizon, she was going to be able to warn Yusuke ready himself for battle.

She stopped to watch him again. Yusuke turned his head slightly towards her, noticing her approach. "What's the matter? Have you been overcome by an urge to paint?"  
Feeling coy, Akira replied with a wide grin. "Sure, give me your pen."  
He turned his focus back to the painting. "Please, do not rush me," he lifted his arm, defensively trying to protect both his pencil and canvas, "I only need a little more time. The lingering uncertainty present in this place seems to be sharpening my senses. I feel a revelation approaching..."  
Akira pursed her lips and resumed her pacing. She could hear Yusuke continue to talk to himself.  
"Hm, yes...! Inspiration has struck!"  
Then in a burst of black and red liquid, a shadow appeared right in front of them. While Akira scrambled to ready herself for battle, Yusuke was still holding his pen intensively.  
"Hmph, how inelegant" He scowled at the monster in front of them. "You wish to carry out your distorted will, foolish Shadow? I shall cut you down for interrupting my work!"  
Goemon came bursting out from the blue flames that enveloped Yusuke's body. A cold wind froze the Shadows into place. Akira barely had any time to curse herself for being ambushed so easily and summoned Matador. The green-clad Persona lifted his red cloth, slicing through the air making quick work of the Shadows. They had been lucky that it was a weak Shadow. Akira walked forward and picked up the piece of paper left in its wake. Yusuke followed suit, wearing a smile on his face.  
"Apologies. It seems I've become too passionate."  
Akira returned the smile, "I thought that was why we came down here. Though I suppose it wasn't your passion that was ever in doubt, more that you needed some inspiration." She returned her focus on the blank card that she had found.  
"I'm glad you were here. You have my thanks."  
"No problem," Akira mumbled, happy over the fact that she was currently wearing a mask. She pretended to be more interested in the card than what she was. Anything to not have to look him in the eyes at the moment. The seconds that passed felt like aeons.  
"...You're like Theo," Yusuke then said, bringing her out of her current thoughts.  
"Theo?" She inquired further. A friend, or artist perhaps?  
"I was referring to Van Gogh's brother, Theo." Seeing her quizzical look, Yusuke continued, "Van Gogh did not achieve fame during his lifetime, but found an admirer and supporter in his brother."  
She could feel her ears warm up at hearing the word _'admirer'_. The poor lad had no idea how much she admired him. "A-an admirer?" Her words were failing her. Akira gulped. Hard. Her face felt like it was on fire.  
He nodded. "Well, there aren't many who are willing to deal with my..." his voice trailed as he tried to think of the right word to use. "...eccentricity."  
She viciously nodded her head, daring not to speak in case she would make a fool of herself. She could only pray that her outward appearance didn't match how she felt on the inside.  
"By the way, what's in your hand?" The blank card captured his curious gaze.  
She showed it to him as a response. Yusuke took it and examined the sides of it. "A card?"  
Akira nodded, "Yeah. Seems like the Shadow dropped it."  
"Whenever I see a blank paper, I have the urge to draw something on it. May I?"  
"Sure, it's a card though so it might be difficult to fit much on it," She said as she handed it over. Yusuke examined it similarly as Akira had. He then started to draw on the card, using his sketchbook as support.   
Suddenly, he began chuckling as he started drawing on the card. Akira sat down and fidgeted with her Phantom outfit as she waited for Yusuke to finish, his murmuring putting her on edge.  
"What do you think?" She heard the blue-haired boy behind her say. She turned to face him, surprised that he had walked up to her spot. He handed the finished product to Akira over her shoulder. She took it and examined the drawing. "Not bad, wouldn't you say?"  
She nodded in agreement. "Looks like the real deal."  
"Soon enough, my slump will be a thing of--" His speech was interrupted by the sudden glow of his card. Akira felt a shiver crawl down her spine as she could sense the power emanating from Yusuke's drawing. The drawing he had made wasn't an imitation, it--  
"My picture... turned into a real skill card?"  
Akira looked at her companion. Seems like he wasn't the only one who could sense the sudden surge energy coming from the card.  
"Yusuke, this is amazing! This will be so useful to us."  
He looked pleased, "Indeed." His face suddenly dropped, and he began fidgeting with his sleeve. Akira adored how bashful he suddenly looked and couldn't help but to imagine there being a faint blush underneath his mask. "Will you continue to aid me?" Her heart skipped a beat at his sincere plea. "If I can overcome this slump, I should be able to aid our group like earlier — perhaps even more so," Yusuke shyly clarified.  
"Of course, for as long as it takes," she similarly adjusted her mask like she would her glasses. Secretly wanting to hide her face behind her face, but she can't have her stoic leader persona tarnished because of a crush. "I don't doubt your capabilities, but if you have been in a slump for a while, I figured that it wouldn't be a one-time thing."  
A beautiful smile formed on Yusuke's lips. "Why don't we act as the thieves we are and strike a deal?" Akira could hear the excitement in his voice. She returned his smile and gave him her outstretched hand.  
"It's a deal."

While others may view his innocence as stupidity, Akira can't help but appreciate his different perspective. In a world full of cynicism that crashed onto her with the criminal record she's forced to carry, Yusuke's innocence is like a small candle of hope. If someone who knows her situation can still look at her as if she's unsullied, then perhaps she does have a future ahead of her after all.   
She once again reaffirmed her promise to do her utmost to keep supporting Yusuke in his current endeavour. Though she didn't know much about art, what Yusuke seemed to need the most at this moment was a friend that listened and supported him. Still, being a perfectionist, and a bit of a show-off, Akira felt like she needed to do more. If she tried hard enough, then maybe he would see her in a different light.

Akira returned to Le Blanc feeling ecstatic. She had spent her afternoon with Yusuke and made the promise that she would continue to help him - essentially sealing a deal that would allow her to spend more time with him.

 

* * *

 

Jealousy was an ugly feeling. It burnt with a fiery hatred which made Akira feel ill. She glared at her reflection in the mirror, convinced that these horrid feelings must somehow show in her appearance. On bad days especially, she wish she could grab the scowling person in the bathroom mirror and tell her to shape up - she has responsibilities to take care of that requires her focus.

"You have such gorgeous lashes, Aki!"

Akira had been hanging out with Ann earlier that afternoon, browsing clothes. Being with such a fashionable girl like Ann, made her question herself if she shouldn't care more about her image. She tucked her hair behind her ear as she tried to bat away any thoughts of her consolidating with the enemy. Akira couldn't help but keep a score in her head over the times where Yusuke seems to pay attention to her versus to Ann.  
For all rhymes and reasons, she shouldn't feel envious towards Ann. She had done nothing wrong, but negativity was forming in her stomach like bile threatening to poison her mind.  
"But you're not using any mascara, are you?" Ann had moved right in front of her. Akira blinked in surprise. The blonde girl was standing very close, examining Akira's facial features. "Or? Wow, your lashes are so dense. I thought you were at least wearing eyeliner."  
"I, uh... no," Akira replied hesitantly. "I don't really know how to apply makeup, so I don't."  
Ann cocked her head to the side, with a curious look in her eyes. "Well, do you want to? Cuz if so, then we can easily amend that!"  
Akira nervously picked at a loose hangnail. While being reduced to a stereotype that completely bent her back backwards to obtain the affection or attention of her crush wasn't on her agenda, Akira was curious about learning.  
"Please," Akira responded and took the hand that Ann had stretched out.  
"Yes!" She cheered, jumping up and down even though they were in a department store. "This is going to be so awesome! We should head to the make up section!"

"Lipgloss shouldn't be a problem for you to apply, but eye makeup can be a bit tricky," Ann explained as she browsed the display. "Now, we'll start simple. Mascara, one of the essentials, depending on what outcome you want they make your eyelashes look longer and fuller. Additionally, there's eyeliners, eyepens, or kajals that you can use to make your eyes look even better."  
Akira could only see things that appeared to look like pens of various thickness. The primary thing she could notice was the price range of these things. Her wallet was going to hurt if she didn't pick up a part-time job that paid well. Unlike the help she offered at Leblanc...  
"You should consider getting a curler too if you haven't already."  
Akira blinked, realising that she had tuned Ann out while looking at the prices. She shouldn't space out now when Ann is so willingly offering help. "Uhm, so what do you think I should get if I want more of a natural look? Especially since I don't want to stick out more in school than what I already do?"

Ann thought for a moment before she started to pick some of the items up from the display. "Okay, then perhaps let's just go with an eyepen and mascara, to begin with. Oh, but what about an eyebrow pencil? You'd be surprised over how much it does for a look despite the concept being so simple! It's especially important if you're using a concealer and BB-cream — and those are part of the essentials as well!"  
Akira let out a defeated sigh. Perhaps she would need multiple part-time jobs to afford all this new makeup. If she were lucky, maybe Sojiro would take pity on her wallet and offer to pay for somethings, like snacks for the Phantoms, that would put less pressure on her economy. How topical that she should concern herself with money when fighting a mafia boss.

When she returned to Leblanc the heavy weight of her empty wallet increased as Sojiro eyed the plastic bags she was carrying. Worried that his glare might bore holes into them, she hastily made her way to the staircase. Sojiro clearing his throat stopped her. She didn't think that he could look any more menacing with a cigarette in hand.  
"Your dad called," Sojiro mumbled between puffs. "You better call him back if you know what's best for you."  
Anger began boiling in Akira’s veins. She thought that Sojiro had finally started trusting her and laid off with the passive-aggressive comments. She wanted to tell him off, shout at him that he didn't have any clue about her relationship with her father and that he had no right to comment on it. However, rationally, Akira knew it wouldn't lead to anything but more hurt and trouble so she bottled it up and stormed upstairs without a word.  
She tossed the bag aside as she reached the end of the stairs and a disgruntled Morgana crawled out.  
"Yeowtch! What was that for!?"  
"I'd like to be alone," she said flatly. Morgana gave her a quizzical look before moseying downstairs. Akira didn't budge until the feline was out of sight. She brought out her phone and hit the second person's details in her favourited contacts. A few signals in and a tired voice responded.

"Hello, Akira," his voice sounded gruffer than usual. She waited for him to finish clearing his throat before she responded.  
"Hi, dad."  
Their relationship had without any doubt turn strained after the incident. However, Akira wished for nothing more than to repair that. She wanted to believe that she wasn't a complete utter failure of a daughter. The sound of the TV from downstairs filled the otherwise deafening silence. Hopefully, Morgana and Sojiro weren't trying to listen in. She moved further away from the stairs and sat down on her bed.  
"How's my favourite gal?"  
She felt the ends of her mouth tug at his usual greeting. It gently soothed her worries. "Okay. Sorry I missed your call, I was hanging out with a friend."  
"Good to hear that you're making friends. Is it from your school?"  
"Yeah."  
"Good... I was worried you wouldn't make any friends during your stay in Tokyo. It's only a year, but I wouldn't want you to be lonely during that time." He let out a deep sigh.  
The exhaustion was clear in his voice. Memories of her dad falling asleep in chairs flooded her mind, most notably the one where he fell asleep waiting for Akira to finish cooking okonomiyaki.  
"How's work? You sound very tired - as usual."  
He gave her a forced chuckle. "Well, the captain always insists that we stay and drink until he's passed out. You know how he is, he hasn't changed at all. I told him that today I had to leave early so that I could call you."  
Akira wrinkled her nose. "And what did he have to say about that?"  
Her dad cleared his throat, "Nothing of importance, nevermind him." A strong sense of unease spread through Akira’s chest by hearing her father attempting to avoid that line of questioning due to him feeling uncomfortable.  
"Please," Akira said in a firm voice. "I want to know what people are saying to you at work. I've already caused enough trouble as is. If I know what they are saying I can work on amending that."  
His voice turned equally serious. "Akira, you're already doing that. That's why you're in Tokyo." He let out a sigh, and there was a brief moment of silence.  
"I'm sorry that I can't be with you. The court ruled that you required a temporary guardian that could look more closely over you that's not in law enforcement."  
"No, I--" Akira's voice croaked. Oh, how she yearned to be back in her home where she could freely cry on her father's shoulder. But the reality was harsher than what she had thought it could be, and she was forced to brave through this time apart from the only place she had known as home. From the moment of the court's ruling, she had stopped being a person - now in the eyes of society, she was nothing more than a criminal. An unsympathetic leech that did nothing but cause problems for everyone — including the ones she loved.

Tears began to fall, leaving wet streaks down her face. Both her glasses and vision turning blurry. Akira pushed her glasses upwards, resting them on the top of her head and covered her eyes with her free hand. "I-I'm so sorry..." She managed to force an apology out, and with it came numerous sobs which she couldn't hold back anymore.   
She heard her father hush at her with a soothing voice. "Akira, my brave, beautiful daughter, it's okay. We'll get through this. I believe you when you said that you stepped in because you thought that someone was in danger. That's something that my daughter that I raised would do. You'll make it through this, it's only a year, and then you'll be off probation. I'll see if I can get some time off from work so that I can visit you in Tokyo."

She continued to cry for the rest of the call with her father. Though it felt like she was adding additional problems on his plate, Akira felt like she was finally allowed to let out all the emotions and tears that had been bottling up since she arrived here.

"With every new day is one less day that you have to spend there. Remember that you're doing this for yourself and those you love, not because of society or duty. You will always have a home and a father that loves you, so continue to stay strong and grow from this time away."

 

* * *

 

Akira felt exhausted still. Luckily the BB cream she had bought helped mask one of the bruises she had received from their latest venture in Kaneshiro's palace. Usually, Mona would heal everyone before leaving the palace, but the poor Mona had no energy left from their extended journey, so she decided to pass up on recovering the bruises and cuts she had which she could hide underneath her clothing. In comparison to the swollen cheek and black eye that Ryuji had received, Akira could potentially cover the black-and-blue swelling above her collarbone. Its awkward location meant that it could partially be seen depending on the angle of the viewer. Ann and Makoto had teased her that it almost looked like a gigantic hickey, asking what Sojiro would think if he saw that. While it had worried her that he might suspect that she had a boyfriend or that she's been in a fight, she could always cover it up and quickly change clothes. No, it was her school that was the biggest problem. Being surrounded by both students and teachers for hours that would happily spread more rumours about her if they saw her bruise. She couldn't wear a scarf or her winter school uniform now when the change to the summer uniform happened weeks ago.  
The day had finally come to an end. Ann swung by her seat as Akira put her notebook in her bag.  
"How are you holding up? I was going to suggest you rest today after yesterday..." the blonde had a concerned look on her face, and Akira could tell that she was looking at the bruise she had tried to hide.  
"Yeah, I was thinking of preparing for our last trip to the palace. The only thing left is to send the call card. Should get some tools crafted and go over the details with Makoto if she's available..."  
"Didn't she say that she had something to do today with the student council?" The pig-tails swayed as Ann shifted her position.  
Akira scrunched her nose, trying to remember. "Did she?"  
Her classmate nodded, "I'm pretty sure she said that. Maybe call her and suggest you do it tomorrow? I'm sure everyone wants to take down Kaneshiro as soon as possible, but after yesterday's fight, I think we all need a bit of a rest. Especially you, since you took a hit which we didn't heal up before leaving..."  
Akira's heart twinged with anger, though she knew that Ann didn't mean it like that, the leader of the Phantoms felt weak for getting injured the day before. She had been careless and paid the price for it. However, if Akira allowed for weakness to show, the other thieves may start to doubt her ability to lead. She clenched her jaw and gazed out the window.  
"It's fine. I'll get it done tonight so that we can go back tomorrow and finish this," Akira said, stubbornly refusing to look at her friend. She knew she was acting without reason, and thought that if she didn't look at Ann, the other girl wouldn't be able to call her out on it.  
"Wow, are you sure? I wish I could help out, but I already told Shiho that I was visiting her today... Oh, but what about Makoto run-through?" There was not a single trace of malice in the blonde's voice, and yet Akira's stubbornness refused to yield. It didn't feel fair to anyone of the Phantoms, especially to Makoto who was their most recent member, but Akira's anger tried to justify itself in her mind, saying that the president of the student council seemed to be much more of a learn-by-doing than what she had initially expected.  
"No worries, I can handle all the preparations on my own," she lied, still refusing eye-contact. "We can give her a short version tomorrow before we send the call card and fill in any blanks before heading to Kaneshiro's palace."  
She felt disgusting inside. What was she trying to prove by pushing the entire team too hard?  
Akira sat by her desk for a while before deciding that she should head home to begin preparations for tomorrow. Her conscience wouldn't leave her alone, but her phone vibrating provided her with a distraction. The name that showed on her screen, however, did not help alleviate her guilt.  
I don't deserve someone like him, Akira thought to herself as she opened up the chatroom to read the messages Yusuke had left her.

 _I'm watching people in Shibuya right now. I thought it might get the creative juices flowing._  
_I must say though, I have had quite the hard time concentrating given our current situation._

Akira steeled herself as she wrote a reply. Her foot was nervously tapping. 

 _I just told Ann_...

Hmm, perhaps that could be construed as too aggressive. Paranoia caused her to start her sentence again.

_I spoke with Ann just now, and we're sending the calling card to Kaneshiro tomorrow. Makoto and Ann had plans today, which is why we aren't sending it tonight._

_Let me know if you need anything._

A pang of guilt hit Akira in the chest. First Ann, and now Yusuke were showing support. She felt as if she was being incredibly spoilt at the moment, but was lacking any willpower to resist her heart's desire.

_I'm heading over._

_OK. I'm in the underground passage._

She could still do some preparations tonight.

... 

"Ah, Akira..." The Yusuke seemed to have noticed her earlier this time, though Akira sensed that something was off. He had a worried expression on his face and was refusing to meet her eye.

She shoved her hands down her pockets, "Hey," she tried getting him to look at her. "You okay?"

"Akira, what is your goal here?" Yusuke asked her out of the blue, and the guilt she had been feeling earlier doubled. "Are you sure we have time doing this...!?"

She had unconsciously moved her hands up. "Whoa, slow down Yusuke," she breathed out and tried to relax her body. "You're the one who came here first and were fine with me joining you." She mentally slapped herself for being so defensive. "Besides, the rest of the phantoms already have plans for today. We can't do the next step without them."

Yusuke sighed and relaxed his facial muscles. She seemed to have gotten through to him. "You are correct, a nice break is necessary at times." 

Silence fell between them. Akira twirled a strand of hair while thinking of something to say.

"If you're feeling way too stressed to relax, then how about you help me prep for the trip to the palace?" She looked at the blue-haired boy next to her whose gaze still fixated on the ground instead of the people walking around them. 

"Of course. There was something that I was hoping to discuss with you as well," Yusuke met her eyes. His gaze sent electrifying shivers down her neck and shoulders. "It's about the painting I developed in Mementos. Do you have time?" 

She nodded. Yusuke chuckled. 

"I hope you do not find it too disturbing. Wait for me at Leblanc. I will bring the painting there." 

For a moment Akira was surprised that he hadn't brought the painting with him since last time he imposed a favour he turned up with a suitcase and stayed the night. Suppose he had grown some manners. Or he was on standby for sending the call card. They shuffled slightly to the side to make room for the people who were rushing to get to their platform. 

She flashed hima smile while tucking some loose locks behind her ear, "Alright, I'll do some shopping at the supermarket nearby. Just text me if I'm not there by the time that you arrive." 

The smile she got in return made her melt inside. Stifling the sigh wanting to be released, she picked at one of the suspenders of her uniform. The train arrived at the expected time, and the seemingly lifeless pack of commuters entered. It hadn't been long since they split ways, and yet Akira felt a strong need to talk to him. She opened her phone to text him.

 _Have you had dinner yet_?

_Or I suppose I should ask you if you had any plans for dinner at all._

  
The written three dots from Yusuke confirmed Akira's suspicions.

_Say no more, I'll prep something for you to eat when you arrive. What's that snack you really like, btw? Stacking up for tomorrow and the day after that._

She must've looked like a goofball to everyone riding the same train as her, smiling from ear to ear while writing to Yusuke. Even the rain that had begun to fall as she exited the station didn't dent the giddiness she was feeling. She had heard of the English proverb "The best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

_Jagarico._

_If you would get me some of those, I will forever be in your debt._

A few packets of different flavoured Jagarico went into the shopping basket. She browsed the vegetable section at the supermarket, carefully picking which ones that she was going to use tonight. Tonight's dinner was going to be fried omelette rice. Easy to cook, and she can add some vegetables to make it more nutritious. A simple meal that wasn't going to take too long to cook. Then she could spend more time with him rather than slave away in the kitchen.

At Leblanc, Sojiro was smoking a cigarette while watching TV. The bells attached to the door notified him of her return. He turned to Akira as she entered the cafe. The smell of coffee and tobacco was strong in the air, how patrons didn't bat an eye to the stench was unknown to her.  

"I'm back," she greeted him. He nodded in response. 

"I invited Yusuke here for dinner, I hope it's okay." 

Sojiro arched an eyebrow as he was racking through his brain going over the list of Akira's friends. "The tall one?"

She nodded. "He's going to show me his latest painting. Is it okay if I use the kitchen?" Sojiro gave her a gruff yes mixed with a sigh, and she began unpacking the groceries. 

"What are you making?" He asked as he watched her as she carefully placed everything on the kitchen counter. 

"Fried omelette rice. Please put out the cigarette, I don't want the food to taste or smell like smoke."

He chuckled as he obliged. "Cooking to impress, are you?"

Akira's cheeks burned, and she pretended that she didn't hear his comment. She turned on the stove to high and began cracking an egg. 

"Do you know how to make a proper omelette?" His tone was serious now. 

Akira sighed. "I just crack the eggs and mix them in the pan. Fewer dishes and dad never complained." In her household food had always been seen as a necessity rather than enjoyment. So it had shaped her cooking style after a pragmatic view rather than the traditional ones that made sure to enhance the flavours of the dish. 

Sojiro's brows furrowed. "There's a reason for all those steps, you know." He sighed and entered the kitchen area and got out a mixing bowl. "Crack the eggs in here and whisk them. I'm not going to cook for you, but I will tell you how to make a proper fried omelette rice. One that's actually presentable and tasty."

"Aye aye, sir," she jokingly responded. The egg in the pan went into the trash. She felt like she could've dealt with not having her cooking skills insulted, but Sojiro could teach her much about cooking, and her dad's words still resounded in her mind about growing as much as possible while she was away from home. Usually cooking felt like a chore, but now she was paying as much attention as she could on Sojiro's advice. Though she doubted that Yusuke would spit out her food had she cooked it her way, she did like the prospect of him enjoying her food. The thoughts of him smiling and complimenting her was tempting her to slip up on Sojiro's instructions. Soon the smell of fried egg filled the cafe. 

"Stop poking the omelette so much and let it fry properly," he chided her. "You can start with some of the dishes or vegetables instead." 

As she plated one of the omelettes, the bells attached to the door chimed. The two of them looked toward the door and saw their expected guest. He held a large canvas covered with a brown cloth. The blue-haired boy's hair slightly tussled from the wind and rain. He had visibly struggled with protecting both himself and his painting from the weather. 

"Good evening," he politely greeted them with a smile and placed his umbrella in the umbrella stand. "The food smells delicious!" 

Akira felt her heart beginning to hammer in her chest. She struggled to find the right words, "It's almost ready. You can head upstairs and dump your stuff in my room." Ugh, she shouldn't have used the word dump in case Yusuke Her choice of words weren't the best ones, but she refused to sound embarrassed in front of Sojiro after his teasing. She wasn't going back on her words, no sir!

He nodded and headed upstairs. Akira couldn't keep her eyes off him as he walked past, hyper aware of all his movements and features. How delicately his wet hair clung to his face, how utterly perfect his profile looked in this light. Shaking her head, she snapped out of the enchantment. "Uhm, do you want some coffee?" Her voice wavered despite her best efforts. 

Yusuke stopped at the base of the stairs and locked eyes with her. "That would be wonderful, thank you." Her left hand rested on her chest as a desperate attempt to still her beating heart. 

She finished plating the food and begun making coffee. Sojiro had a smug grin on his face. If only the red in her face was due to rage she might've been able to tell him to butt out. For now, she would have to make due with biting her tongue, lest she gives more information about her feelings away. 

"I have somewhere to be, so I'll leave you kids alone," Sojiro excused himself and left Leblanc. Akira knew it was a lie, but she appreciated not having an audience while eating dinner. A lonely sigh was let out by the girl, and she felt a little calmer. Steps from the stairs alerted her to finish up with the coffee and to set the table. Yusuke was attempting to dry his hair using his hand but stopped as he entered the set booth. 

"I hope you managed to get the painting here unscathed," She placed the coffee cups on the table, heavily weighing the option to sit down next to him instead of infront. When Yusuke scooched over, freeing up the seat next to him, Akira took that as an invitation to do so. 

"Yes, the subway trains tend to be crowded in the evenings, more so when the weather is bad." He didn't touch his food. Before she could ask if something was wrong, Yusuke continued. "Is riding the subway alright for you? I am concerned since last time you seemed distressed."

Akira blinked as It must've surprised Yusuke for him to ask if she was going to be alright riding the subway. She took a bite out of the food to think about what to answer. It tasted nice. "Don't worry about it. It was a bit of a freak accident. Barely happens at all."  
He nodded quietly, and all Akira could hope for was that he believed her.  
She decided to change the topic. "How's it going at the dorms? I know you weren't happy at all to stay there at first, but I haven't heard anything from you about it since you moved back."  
"It is as well as it could be," he absentmindedly looked at something in the distance. "I'm not too fond of the other students there, but I like to think that it is aiding me in my observation of people. They are rather uncleanly of their own living space."  
Attentively listening to the stories that Yusuke shared of his dormmates, Akira had to remind herself also to eat her food. 

"I can't wait to see your painting, this will be the first one that I get to see that's under your name." 

A glint of excitement appeared in Yusuke's eyes. He hummed a happy tune as he finished up the coffee. The refined look of her handsome artist crush was a memory she forever wanted to be etched into her mind. 

"Then let us walk upstairs to look at it, shall we?" Yusuke extended his arm in a gentlemanly fashion. "Oh, but before you go. I must thank you for being such a gracious host by providing me with dinner. The food was excellent."

"...It's nothing," Akira mumbled as she got up, placed the dishes in the sink and headed to her room with Yusuke tailing behind. The plates could wait.  The brown cloth still covered the painting but now propped up on an easel. How she missed Yusuke coming through the door with that is a mystery of its own.  

"This is the completed draft from earlier," with a swift movement, he unveiled the painting. The black and red swirls of Mementos were familiar to Akira, yet there had been a unique spin to it. She found herself leaning into the painting. "I would like your honest opinion... If you would."

"Yusuke, It's... I don't know what to say. It's enigmatic, it feels like I'm being pulled into Mementos just by looking at it. It's quite unique!" 

His shoulders relaxed and a satisfied smile appeared on his face. "Hmph, just as I had hoped." Then, his smile suddenly faltered. "But... is that truly all you have to say about it? I would like something more concrete." 

Akira crossed her arms and looked questioningly. "Uhm, so what exactly do you want me to say"

"A four hundred word review should serve that purpose nicely."

She took a step back, "Four h...! Buh-- Why?"

"It's difficult to work on only a few words," Yuske responded and looked back at the painting. Of course an artiste like him would want one to pour their heart out in describing how the art piece makes them feel. Akira remembers the times where Chika would ask for every single thought Akira had on each sketch her classmate made, wanting to hear not only praise but what she could do better. But Akira wasn't an artist, she couldn't give all those words that her creative friends asked for, all she could say is what she thought. "Regardless, this is how I choose to interpret the idea of "desire." It is the foul charm held deep within the abyss of the heart... To be honest, I believe my ability to capture desire so elegantly is due to our Mementos foray. I have grown to understand the intricacies of the heart in a way I had once thought impossible."

Akira rested her hands on her hips, wishing the school uniform skirt would come with pockets. "I'm impressed that you had at least thought of it. I would have never imagined a place like Mementos or beings like shadows existed." Yusuke looked to the ground. 

"I don't understand."

"Oh, it's just the way you formulated it. It made it sound like... Nevermind."

From the corner of her eye she could see his gaze lifting from the floor, "Akira," he called her name to grab her attention. "I intend on submitting this piece to an upcoming public art exhibition."

"Ah, so that's why you wanted to hear my thoughts."

He nodded. "Indeed. Nobody has seen the abyss of the heart in such a raw manner before... The disclosure will be fascinating. More importantly, it shall be the spark that revitalises my slumbering art career!" 

Akira looked at the painting once more, studying the brush strokes. Envisioning Yusuke's arm movements as he must've painted it. The pressure he applied at different places, and the different tools he could've used... The painting was beautiful. Though she couldn't say much about the technique or offer him any pointers, she did know what she could do. 

"I can't wait to see it." 

She could continue to support him as best as she could. 

"Indeed," returning her smile with his own, a warm smile that melted Akira's heart. Yusuke seemed even more at peace now than what he looked when he had finished eating. "I expect you to accompany me for the moment it is finally revealed to the general public."

He crossed his arms as they both continued to admire his work in silence. 

"I'm sure this will be a most sensational experience for those who opt to undergo it. A raw, unbridled look into the depths of the human psyche... And I was the one who able to bring it to life, all thanks to your assistance."

Akira's first instinct was to dismiss the praise, saying that he's giving her too much credit, but Yusuke didn't seem like the type of person who would be insincere with their gratitude. 

"You have my sincerest gratitude." 

The quiet between them felt comforting, she liked not having to constantly talk so that it wouldn't get awkward between the two. She could feel it in her heart that their bond was continuing to grow stronger. At this moment, it was all she could ask for. She didn't need him to like her the same way back, in fact, he probably never would, but she was thankful for being able to spend time with him. Just as she got to watch him grow as an artist, Akira was praying that this helped her grow as a person.

 


End file.
